Ten Seconds Later
by ElenaxoxoSilber
Summary: What's a mermaid to do when she moves to Forks, Wa and away from her friends? This was supposed to be an h2o x twilight crossover, but ff wasnt letting me post it on there. well, summary inside!
1. 118 Inches

**This was supposed to be a crossover between twilight and h2o but fan fiction wasn't letting me post the story on there! Well, I decided to post it on : Ariana moves away from the the beautiful gold coast to stay with her step brother in Forks, Wa. Can she keep her secret safe when it rains almost every day? How will the mermaid trio back home deal with the fourth mermaid being gone? This was inspired by an AMAZING story by summer-echo-11 and it's called Full Moon so check it out! But this is gonna have a totally different outcome! **

_Chapter One:_

_118 Inches_

_Chapter Song: Tyrant by OneRepublic_

Of all places to move Forks, Washington wasn't on my top list. In fact, it would be way down at the bottom, right under Siberia or Antarctica. It wasn't the fact that I hated moving so much; it was just the fact that Forks had the rainiest weather in America. 118 inches a year, that's a little much, don't you think? Normal people would say, oh its just rain, why would you care, but I'm not normal. I'm a mermaid, complete with a tail and the whole nine yards, how crazy was that? Here I was, moving once again. Packing up my belongings back in Australia was one of the hardest things I've ever done, I cried my eyes out for hours—and surprisingly didn't grow a tail in the process. Living on the Gold Coast, aka Queensland, was the best thing that ever happened to me. The short background story of everything would be that I grew close to three girls: Cleo, Emma, and Rikki. They were the best friends any girl could ever ask for. Did I mention that they were mermaids too? We all turned together inside a pool in a volcano on an island called Mako Island. It was around sixty miles offshore and it was uninhabited, minus the several creatures scientists have yet to discover. The girls and I all had powers. Cleo could manipulate water and Emma could freeze things. Then there was Rikki and I, who could both boil things. Truthfully, I thought Rikki and my power was the more helpful out of the three since we could dry ourselves off easily. I grew close with three guys named Lewis, Ash, and Zane. No, they weren't mermen. Lewis and Zane knew our secret, Ash was left out of this. None of this mattered anymore, my Australian friends were gone—_I_ was gone. And it was my mom's fault. She worked for the navy, and it continually caused us to move around. She was working at one of the ports and in a training camp or something like that—I don't know, I stopped listening. But because of a switch in her positions, she was working out at sea for a year and a half. All three girls, even Zane invited me into their homes with open arms so I didn't have to move to yet another country but my mom declined the offers for me. For this year and a half, I was staying with my second stepbrother, Sam Uley. He was my dad's son from one of his marriages. I got close to Sam after my dad died; we convened at his funeral and kept in touch. Though I hadn't seen him in years, we kept in touch occasionally. Last time I heard from him, which was about four months ago, he had just gotten engaged to a girl named Emily Young that he hadn't been dating for a while, but I heard many good things about her. Whether or not they were married now was out of my knowledge, but I knew one thing for sure—I wasn't looking forward to meeting her. I wasn't looking forward to meeting anyone. The evergreen trees were blurring past us as we sped along the wet roads of Forks, Washington. It had rained recently. The sky was a dreary shade of grey and there was to much greenery. Where was the shiny sun? The fluffy white clouds hanging in the bright b My headphones were deeply implanted in my ears, blasting my music to drown out the world. The car ride from the airport had been quiet, way to quiet. The awkward one-liners from my mom weren't something I was planning on answering to. I was resentful, upset—beyond pissed off at this new job. Staring out the window, I searched for deer hiding in the bushes, but there was nothing but leaves and bark, blurring together.

"You can't ignore me forever." My mom piped up. _Please stop talking,_ I thought to myself. I wouldn't dare to say that to her face, I'd never be able to go back to Australia with that kind of mouth.

"I can try for the next hour." I mumbled into my jacket sleeve, punching up the volume with my thumb. The town was small, smaller than I could ever believe. We passed one beat up run of the mill diner; that looked like the only place to eat. It was funny that I expected different, there was no reason in my right mind I should have anticipated there'd be a shopping mall, a new JuiceNet Café, or several places to get take out when I was to lazy to cook myself food. Of course not, you had to do everything yourself in the crappy dilapidated town of Forks, population less than 3,120—make that 3,121.

"Look, we're here!" My mothers voice was but a whisper over my music. She cancelled the GPS on the car as we pulled into the dirt driveway of a small two story home.

"Someone kill me now." My words came out under my breath. My eyes rolled. The car was placed into park, and the engine was cut off. Eagerly, my mom got out of the car.

"Come on, put a smile on that pretty face!" She urged. She hurried to the front door. I looked up to the grey sky, it looked as if it could rain at any second. Then I rushed myself out of the car and up to the porch along side my mother.

"Well someone's eager to see Sam." She chuckled.

"Yeah, sure, that's it." I lied, rolling my eyes again. God I thought I'd freeze to death out here. Apparently dawning ripped denim shorts, an oversized black jacket, and black slouch boots wasn't appropriate for Washington. My body was shaking as light damp wind brushed against my bare skin. My mother took a step in front of me and enthusiastically knocked on the front door. I could hear the locks of the door switch their places and the door opened, revealing a very tall man in his early to mid twenties. He had cropped black hair and soft brown eyes that matched his copper skin. His short-sleeved shirt revealed the traces of what looked like a tribal tattoo on his upper right arm. He didn't have that the last time we saw each other. But that was Sam alright, he hadn't changed a bit—minus the fifty extra pounds in muscle he gained.

"Molly." Sam flashed a smile.

"Samuel," my mom returned it. Oh god why was she using his full name? "How have you been?" She wondered, engulfing him in a hug. She looked like a ghost compared to his tanned skin. Hell, so did I. For all the years I knew him, he always looked like that; he could thank his Indian descent for that trait.

"Great, just good. So glad you're here." He broke the hug and my mother finally stepped out of the way, revealing me with my arms crossed over my chest.

"Oh," he purposely bopped himself in the head, "I forgot I have a step sister living with me." My eyes squinted at him with hatred, not wanting to be anywhere near him, the house, or the state of Washington. I kept my mouth shut, though Sam expected a warm welcome from me. _Nope! Not today, Sam._ He opened his arms to hug me, but I bumped right past him and into the Uley home. My arms dropped to my side.

"I'll be in my room." I muttered, with the roll of my eyes. Sam frowned at the sight. I turned on my heel, "which is where exactly?"

"Ariana!" Mom scolded, her face hot with anger. Another eye roll. My arms re-crossed over my chest, she was trying to defeat my attitude, which happened to be on a roll the past few days.

"Let's try that again." She demanded through a fake grin. Sam looked down to the floor and silently chuckled.

"Ari." He looked back up, smirking at me.

"Sam." I smiled smugly. He grabbed me in a bear hug to the point I could barely breath.

"Sam, can't breathe." I chocked and he left me down.

"Ari, be a dear and go get your stuff from the car while me and your brother catch up?" Good ole' mom, leaving me to do the dirty work. I looked at her for a second with a 'you've-got-to-be-kidding-me' kind of look. My eyes rolled and I shook my head in negativity, sliding off my leather cross body bag and tossing it to the floor. The two watched me walk outside and began to speak to each other again.

"I'm being such a bad host, Emily usually corrects me on this. Coffee? Tea?" he offered.

"No thank you. But speaking of Emily, where is the lucky girl? I want to meet my baby's fiancé." She chuckled. Grow up, mom. I began piling my suitcases, four in total, and rolled them up two by two to the front door, occasionally mumbling something about how no one helped me. But all my mom would do was laugh, and talk about her stupid job. As I rolled up one of my next suitcases, I could hear my mom talking to Sam about me, so I stopped in my place—just so the two couldn't see me eaves dropping.

"I'm sorry for how she's acting." My mom sighed.

"Hey, we'll warm up to each other." Sam didn't care at all.

"She's been so resentful of me ever since I told her. I hurt her; she's barely talking to me anymore. I try to get her to open up, but it's useless. This new job, I thought she'd be happy I got a promotion, but it's torn us apart." A tear dripped down her face, she quickly wiped it away with the sleeve of her jacket.

"She'll be okay, give her some time. It's hard."

"She hates me now, Sam. I feel bad for her. Ever since we moved to Australia, she seemed happier. She seemed like she was keeping a lot from me, but she seemed happy with her new friends. She was rarely home; she spent every second of her day at their houses. And I tore her away from that." Yeah, you did mom.

"Don't blame yourself, this job is going to be good for you." No Sam, she should blame herself for getting me into this. She was damn right at how resentful I was, this was the worst thing that happened to me. And it turned me into some sort of malicious bitch, but she deserved it. God, I was mean. There was a split second I felt bad about making my mom cry, but then I remembered where I was and why I was here. A quiet rumbled of thunder rolled overhead. I looked up to the grey, cloudy sky and decided that it was time to go back inside. Moving forward, I walked back into the house and placed my suitcase next to the door.

I sat on the arm of the couch for twenty more minutes as I bitterly listened to my mother and Sam talk on and on. Big deal they haven't seen each other in a few years, I'm sure they could catch up another time.

"When do you think the weddings going to be?" Mom asked, fidgeting with her watch.

"Not quite yet, but believe me, you'll be one of the first to know." Finally mom's eyes fell down to the Swiss watch strapped on her wrist.

"Shoot," she muttered looking at the time, "my plane leaves soon, I better get to the airport before it takes off without me." She sighed, her eyes now falling on me.

"Care to say goodbye? We won't be seeing each other for a while." Tears welled in her eyes. They were probably fake.

"Bye." I coldly said. Sam shot me a fatherly look, demanding me to get up to give her a hug goodbye. I rolled my eyes for the tenth time since I've entered this house and got up from my seat, going over to mom to let her hug me.

"I'll miss you so much." She kissed my forehead.

"Miss you too." Though I didn't mean it, I figured it couldn't hurt to say something to make her feel better. Whatever.

"Don't ever hesitate to call me. I left you a list of information in your duffle about the boat I'll be working on and the island too. We won't have service a lot, but I'll call when I do. And I'll call a few weeks before I get my vacations. Oh, and one more thing. I know how much you wanted to go live with your friends—"

"So you're letting me go with them?" Happiness crossed my face for a split second. Sam's smile fell. He knew how much I didn't want to be here.

"No, I'll send you money for plane tickets during Spring Break or summer." All my hopes fell into the ground. Spring break? I could swim there before then, though it'd be really hard and straining on my body. In fact, it was most likely impossible since we were sixteen thousand or so miles away.

"Whatever." I mumbled, falling back into my depressed-rebel state.

"Take care of my baby, Sam!" She gave Sam and I one last hug before departing out the door. Then it was just Sam and I standing in the silence of his living room. We exchanged glances.

"I'll be in my room." I harshly announced, picking up one of my smaller duffels and slinging it over my shoulder.

"Listen, Ariana. I know how much you don't want to be here but there's no way out of it. You're here and that's final."

"Well I don't want to be here, I had the option of staying with my friends back in my real home but my mom was stupid enough to decline the offer for me. So thanks for trying to make this my new home Sam, but I'll be back where I want to be in no time." My lips formed a line and I stormed up the stairs, stopping midway. Great, I already set this relationship off to a rocky start.

"Need help finding your room?" He smirked.

"No." I barked, continuing up the stairs and into the hallway. There were to many doors that were closed that could be the option to my room. So I chose the one in front of me. As my hand touched the doorknob, Sam yelled up.

"Bathroom, try again!" You've got to be kidding me. I turned to the right and walked down the hallway and opened another door. The open door revealed a room with pale blue walls and wood floors. A few empty black picture frames were mounted on the walls, waiting for pictures to fill them. An antique white desk matched the night table and lamp beside my bed, which was made up for me with many decorative pillows. The comforter was white while the light blue top sheet was folded over the top of it. My window, which gave me a view of the front yard, had white eyelet drapes surrounding it. A small vase of pink roses sat beside my bed with a card beside it. I dropped my duffle beside the door and walked over and picked up the piece of stationary. In a neat, script, handwriting the card read 'Just a little something to make you feel at home – Emily and Sam'.

"I see you found your room." Sam put down the three suitcases he'd been hauling. I turned around from him with the card sealed in my hand.

"Thank you." I awkwardly said, being nice to him for the first time today.

"Don't thank me, thank Emily. She wanted you to feel welcome in your new, well apparently temporary, home." He smiled. My lips pursed, not knowing what to say next. Sam and Emily had bent over backwards to make me feel as comfortable as can be, and I was being a major bitch. Way to go, Ariana.

"Drop the rebel act, Ari. It's not you." His smile was creepy, but it was evident with hope. I sighed loudly and rolled my eyes again.

"Fine, let's start over."

"That's what I thought," he giggled, "how've you been? We haven't talked in a while." He stated.

"School kept me busy." I lied, keeping up with mermaid issues kept me really busy. Whether it was protecting our secret from Denman or Charlotte, we were always on the job to stay as secretive and safe as possible.

"Oh high school, I remember the days." He reminisced.

"Yeah, yeah, lucky you," I scoffed, "looks like someone's been at the gym. I'm almost positive those don't grow overnight."

He laughed. "Thanks, uh, I've been working on it."

"How many are you benching?"

"Two hundred, two fifty."

"Damn, no wonder you took everything up easily." I eyed my suitcases. Sam walked over and sat on my bed.

"So, you know you're going to Forks High school, right?"

"My mom gave me the whole talk already. No need to repeat it."

"Good. Do you want to take my car or what?"

"Ha, that's funny, you think I can drive." I laughed sarcastically.

"But, you're sixteen?"

"Australia allows you to get your permit at sixteen, seventeen's the license."

"Right," he clasped his hands together, "okay, well, Emily or I will drive you. Or, you know, I can just make you walk." He joked.

"Watch it tough guy. You don't want me getting wet now, do you?" Shoot…Ari, shut your mouth.

"A little water never hurt anyone." He laughed, and I pretended to laugh as well. Yeah, as far as you know it hasn't.

"So where's Emily?" I figured it was better to meet her while my semi-good mood was sticking around.

"She's out getting groceries, she wanted to be here when you arrived but you guys were a little early."

"Yeah, our plane did come in early," I mused, "so, what are you doing the rest of the day?"

"Spending time with my little sister, catching up on the past years I missed. Tell me about Australia."

"It's physically impossible to sum up Australia in a few words. It was the best place I've ever been. I got really close to these three girls and two guys; we all shared something special with each other. We were the best of friends and that made everything better. But besides that, the beaches were gorgeous, the coral reefs were stunning, and the weather was to die for."

"And then you came here."

"And then I came here." I huffed.

"You didn't even grow an accent while you were there, for how many years would that be?"

"Three. I wish I did though. Cleo, Emma, Rikki, Lewis, Zane, and Ash's accents were so amazing. They actually thought I had a cool accent, which was funny since I'm so boring." I spoke like a normal American, which was boring for me after being surrounded by Australian's for three years.

"So where were you before Australia if you don't mind me asking?"

"South Carolina."

"Right, just jogging the memory."

"It's all right, I try to forget about it anyways." I shrugged, sitting down on my bed. All of the sudden, Sam stiffened as if he was hearing a noise. He was silent, and then he came out of his daze by looking at the clock.

"Damn it, I've got to go do an errand but I'll be back in twenty minutes. Tell Emily I say hello." After I agreed, he hopped off my bed and rushed out of my room and downstairs. I heard him shuffling for something in the living room and then the front door shut. What happened to him not having anything to do? Whatever. I walked over to the window to not see Sam anywhere in sight, but what I did hear was a howl faded off into the distance. Howling? There were wolves here?

I spent my free time alone in the house unpacking my multiple suitcases. One of the first things I did was fill the pictures in the empty frames. One was of Cleo, Emma, Rikki, and I in on the beach, of course not in our mermaid form. Another was a photo of Rikki, Zane, and I; another was filled with all the boys and us four girls at the JuiceNet Café, and the last one was a picture of the girls and me at Mako beside the Moon Pool. I remembered the day like it was yesterday, we had all just dried off from a long swim and Lewis was there with his new fancy camera his parents bought him for his birthday. We sat there for hours just playing around with it and taking pictures, pretending we were models. Downstairs, I could hear a door creaking open that took me out of my daydream.

"Sam, I'm home!" A woman's voice called. That must be Emily. I hung the picture frames back up and walked down stairs to find a beautiful woman with dark hair putting four boxes of pizzas down on the counter near the sink.

"Something smells good." I smiled and leaned against the doorway. She turned around, revealing a few scars on her face; I tried not to make it obvious that I was looking at them.

"You must be Ariana!" She squealed.

"The one and only." I smirked. She walked over to me and gave me a big hug.

"I've heard so much about you. I'm Emily."

"I know, Sam's told me a lot about you too."

"Speaking of the devil, where is Sam?"

"He had to run an errand or something. He told me to tell you."

She rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Only Sam."

"So how have you been sweetheart?"

"I'd say fine, but I'd be lying."

"I'm sorry, Sam told me you guys moved around a lot. I bet you don't want to be here."

"If I had a choice I wouldn't, but I'm here so there's nothing I can do at the moment," I paused wanting to get off of the subject, "hey Emily, is there a beach anywhere near here?" She looked at me strangely for a second before nodding it off.

"Just down the road, probably less than a mile. Why?"

"I was hoping to see the beaches here."

"Oh, well go right ahead. Once you get out of the driveway turn right and walk straight and you'll hit it eventually. But don't get your hopes up, these beaches are in no comparison to Australia."

"I figured." I sighed, rushing upstairs to put on my bathing suit top on. I was in dire need for a swim.

**line break**

**line break**

My boots sunk into the cold sand while my heart sank into my stomach. Emily was right; the beaches here really are _nothing_. It was like some abandoned wasteland. The ocean was a dark grey color instead of the beautiful aquamarine I was used to. There were tons of rocks on the beach and in the water. The sand looked more like dirt than actual sand. There were huge pieces of driftwood spread out across the beach. This was terrible, how could a beach look like this? My unzipped black jacket revealed my black bikini top and the same pair of ripped shorts I was wearing earlier. A cold wind slapped against my bare stomach and a chill was sent down my spine. It was freezing out here! Okay, maybe it wasn't my best idea to wear shorts, boots, an open jacket, and a bikini as a shirt. Okay, it was one of my worst. I watched the angry waves slap against the shore. Though the ocean was choppy, one swim couldn't hurt. As I took a step forward to move towards the ocean, I could hear giggling off in the distance. My head turned to the left to find a group of three teens—a blonde girl, and a brunette boy and girl— walking together, bundled up in jackets, boots, and scarves. I could see them looking at me from the distance. _What a freak,_ the blonde one said loudly enough for me to hear.

"_Bitch_." I muttered under my breath, turning on my heel and walking back to Sam's house feeling defeated.

**line break **

**line break **

Sam's house felt like a heater when I walked back inside. I slammed the door behind me harder than I was supposed to. Whoops. I slid off my jacket and draped it over my arm.

"Sam, Emily, whoever's here, I'm back." I called. I could hear voices talking over me, but they were unfamiliar so I assumed it was the television. I lurked my way over to the kitchen and stopped short when there were five shirtless guys circling the kitchen table. My eyes widened at the sight. Everyone stopped talking, noticing I was in the room. What was I supposed to say? Who were these shirtless, muscular, tanned men and why were they standing in my new kitchen? Then I noticed I was in my bikini top; the blood proceeded to rush to my cheeks. Their stares were intense, and no one seemed to be breaking the ice.

"Ari, you're home," dear God Emily I was liking you already, "have a slice of pizza before they eat it all." She warmly smiled, then we fell back into a silence until Sam spoke up.

"Right," he awkwardly started, rubbing the back of his neck, "guys, this is Ariana, my step sister." He announced.


	2. Close Call

**Chapter Two:**

**Close Call**

**Chapter Song: I'm Not Over by Carolina Liar**

I blankly stared at the group of guys who were gawking back at me. Sam had just introduced me and now, no one was saying anything. It was my turn to cut it short. My brows furrowed and my eyes narrowed from Sam to one of the guys on the other side of the table.

"I'm going to bed." I shook my head in annoyance and turned around, ready to storm up to my room until Sam stopped me.

"Wait, Ari, don't." He pleaded. I turned back around.

"Fine, Sam, can I see you in the living room? _Now_?" I demanded in a harsh tone. He sighed and answered to my demands by following me out of the kitchen.

"Raise your hand if you knew Sam had a step sister." One of the boys piped up.

"Boys." Emily sternly looked at them. Sam and I trailed into the living room.

"What the hell is that?" I pointed into the kitchen, pressing my jacket, still hanging over my arm, up to my chest to cover the minimum clothing I had on.

"_That_ is my friends."

"Why didn't you tell me they were coming over?"

"Because it's basically become a daily ritual. I'm so used to it I forgot to tell you!"

"One of you should have warned me! Look at me!" I cried.

"And that reminds me, why are you dressed like that? It's like fifty degrees outside."

"Because I went to the beach! Yeah, okay, not my best plan every but I came—hey, no, we are not switching subject here." Sam put his hands up like he had been caught red handed.

"Okay, just calm down. How about I bring you back in there and introduce everyone?" Sam suggested. I quickly slid on my jacket and zipped it up so I had somewhat of a shirt on.

"I hate meeting new people." I complained, but Sam just walked back into the kitchen instead. The five boys and Emily stopped talking again.

"Ariana, this is Jared, Paul, Quil, Embry, and Jacob." He pointed from boy to boy. They were all just as muscular as my brother. They all had the same dark brown short-cropped hair, brown eyes, and Native American skin tone. They all had the same tribal tattoo my brother had in the same exact place on their arm. Was this an Indian thing?

"Hi." They all mumbled. The one at the end, Jacob, was wearing a gawky smile. My eyes traced over all of them and I felt uncomfortable.

"I'll be outside." I eyed them once again and then proceeded to walk to the back door and to the backyard to find a place to sit. There was an open fire pit with a stone-seating wall near where I was standing. I took a seat and tried to figure out how to turn this thing on. Turning some knob I found didn't do anything. My eyes fell on the pieces of wood inside the pit. Perfect. As I turned the knob one more time to pretend I was turning it on, I clenched my fist and smoke began rising from the wood. The smell wafted into my nose and I inhaled deeply, enjoying the aroma. Suddenly, a flame ignited and soon the whole piece of wood was engulfed in a fire. I hadn't used my powers in over a day, it felt good to get them going again. The fire instantly warmed me up, taking away how cold I was from the weather outside. I could hear the guys laughing and enjoying themselves inside while I kept to my lonesome self out here, it was better that way. I was always better off alone. Ten minutes passed and soon it was twenty. And I enjoyed every second of being alone, using my powers to make the fire burn stronger. I was mesmerized from the flames flicking at each other, and licking at the burned wood.

"Looks like you got the fire pit running," a voice standing near me made me lift my head up, "we've been trying to fix that thing forever." It was Jacob, who now had a black shirt on instead of walking shirtless.

"Yup." I sighed almost to loud for my liking, "it's Jacob? Right?" I asked, trying to act cool and collected.

"Right," a smile crossed his face, "mind if I sit, Ariana?" He asked. I nodded, my vision falling back down to the crackling fire. Jacob walked passed me and sat to my left. What was I supposed to say with this guy? I didn't know him, and I didn't want to. I wanted to go home.

"You don't seem to happy." he recognized.

"Is it that obvious?" I sighed.

"If I said no, would you like me better?" He didn't bother to hide his smile. I looked up to him and slightly grinned but it fell again, and I kept my attention off Jacob and towards the fire in front of me.

"Why don't you come in with all of us? It's a bit cold out here." He suggested.

"I'll pass." Jacob felt defeated as he tried to cheer me up.

"Sam said you were from Australia?" he wondered.

"Yup." I could feel the two of us being watched from the group inside the house.

"So where's that cute little accent all you Aussie's have?"

"I've moved around all my life, Australia was just my latest home."

"Really?" What was with the small talk Jacob was trying to create? "Where?"

"I was born in Maine and I lived there till I was two years old. From there, my family lived in Texas for five years. After Texas, my mom was sent to Hawaii for two years. When I was nine I moved to Italy for the summer, then I moved to Charleston for three and a half years, and then I went to Australia till yesterday, where I spent half my day on a flight."

"Wow, I never knew someone could move so much." Said Jacob, astonished.

"Yeah well that's what you get for having a mother in the navy."

"I'm sorry." He apologized for nothing. I looked up to him, squinting my eyes and shrugging my shoulder.

"You're lucky."

"No, really, I am sorry. That must suck."

"'_Sucks_' is an understatement. Whatever. Enough of talking about me. What are you and the rest of the unknown people in my house doing here?" I asked.

"We're here almost every night, and today happened to be one of those nights. You'll get used to it." He chuckled.

"Yeah if I'm stuck here for that long." I mumbled.

"You know, if you don't grab a slice of pizza now you'll never get any later."

"But Emily bought like four boxes?" I finally made eye contact with him. His eyes were the same color as mine, a soft brown, but they looked ten times more beautiful than mine ever would.

"Yeah," he nodded, "you'll get used to it." He laughed and I chocked on one.

"Come on, let's go." I waved, getting up from my seat and walking towards the house. When I realized Jacob wasn't following me, I turned around, "aren't you coming?"

"Shouldn't we turn this off?" He was bent over, staring at the knobs of the fire pit.

"It'll go off itself." I lied, Jacob shrugged and met up with me. He walked in the door first and I turned around, mimicking a stopping motion with my hand. The fire was halted, and smoke replaced it. With a satisfied smile, I walked back inside.

"Jeez, Jake what kind of miracle did you perform to get her to come back in here?" Sam joked. I wanted to roll my eyes for the hundreth time today and walk back outside, but for the best of all of us, I stayed inside as much as I didn't want to.

#

#

line break

Time change can really screw you up. Like for instance, right now, it was 3:30 PM in the oh-so-boring state of Washington while it was 8:30 in the morning back home in Australia. I'm seventeen hours behind and it was messing with my mind. I hadn't gone to bed till five AM because back home that would mean it was ten o'clock. Even though back home I usually went to bed sometime by midnight, I think I just fell asleep from complete exhaustion last night. Kicking off the covers, I went straight to the window, noticing how much sun was coming inside the room. I pulled the drapes apart and my room was flooded with sunlight. It was sunny! My prayers had been answered! I rushed and changed into my favorite swimsuit and put a pair of shorts and loose tank top over it. I pulled out a towel that I packed with me and slid my feet into a pair of blue sandals. Truthfully, I didn't need a swimsuit since I was a mermaid and all, but I didn't want to look suspicious if anyone saw me going to the beach in normal clothing. Didn't need suspicions arising on my second day here. I tiptoed down stairs and got to the living room and stopped to hear if anyone was in the house. To my benefit, the house was quiet so I proceeded my way to the front door.

"Well, well, well, look who's finally awake." I jumped when Sam's voice startled me from behind. I was almost half way to the door without getting noticed too!

"Oh my god, Sam you scared me." I put a hand over my fast beating heart.

"Well someone's jumpy today." He said, turning the page of the newspaper he was reading.

"Sorry I didn't see you there? I'm not the one silently reading on the chair scaring people. And since when do you even read?" He laughed.

"Calm down. Have a good sleep?" He asked, completely ignoring my questions.

"Besides the fact I fell asleep at five, yeah it was fine."

"Five? I thought you were exhausted when you went to bed?" I actually wasn't tired last night when I told Sam I was going to bed for the night. I was sick of hanging out with Sam's friends. It got annoying after five hours or so.

"Well time change and I don't really get along."

"Where are you off to?"

"Beach."

"You're lucky it's so sunny outside, rare day here in Forks. Have fun, go enjoy the day."

"Go enjoy the day? What are you our father?" I laughed, Sam didn't find it so funny. He was always quite sensitive about our fathers death, though none of us were close to him. Instead of apologizing, I walked out the door and headed towards the beach.

Setting my bag down in the sand, I didn't even bother laying out my towel. No one was in sight, so I was all set for an all clear. I shed my shirt and shorts, kicked off my flip-flops and dashed for the ocean without another thought. As the first wave of water drowned at my foot, a shiver was sent down my spine. The water was freezing! Not like 'oh-you'll-get-used-to-it' cold but it was actually ice cold. Once I was in deep enough, I dove under and felt myself change into my mermaid self. The familiar sensation came over me—my legs tingling and becoming weak. It was the familiar sensation that I grew to love. Yeah, it does feel weird but I got used to it. My body was shivering in the cold water, I thought I was going to adapt to it, but now I was thinking I'd receive hypothermia. But I kept swimming, enjoying the adrenaline rush. To my disappointment, the ocean here was nothing to rave about. There weren't any coral reefs and there were barley any fish. No dolphins were in sight, which was strange for me because back home I always swam with dolphins. Deep down inside, I was heart broken over how not every part of the ocean looked like the ones back home. But it was still an ocean, and it'd have to do for the next few months. After swimming aimlessly for an hour, I swam to shore. I hauled myself onto a rock and balled my fist over my orange tail. From there I worked up, going from my torso to my hair. In a matter of thirty seconds, I transformed and sparkled blue and was back with my legs and bathing suit. My hair was dry, as if I hadn't been in the water at all. As I walked out from behind the rock, I was startled to find Jacob walking down the beach. Oh my god, had he seen me? he was only as far as where I laid down my belongings, he couldn't have seen me. Or what if he was pretending that he just came?

"Ariana?" He called.

"Jacob?" I tried to act as surprised as he was.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was going to go swimming but the waters to cold…what are you doing here?" _Nice job, Ariana! You were getting so pro at lying to protect this secret it was funny. _

"I just came down to the beach, it's a nice day so I figured I would take a swim or get a tan or something." He shrugged.

"You're the last person who needs a tan, Jacob." He laughed.

"True." He admitted.

I bent down and grabbed my shirt and threw it back on.

"Sure you don't want to come for a swim?" he offered.

"I'm good." I slipped on my shorts and packed my towel back up.

"I'm coming by the house after, so I'll see you later." He smiled.

"Bye." I picked up my bags and walked back to the house. My god was that close, I had to be more careful next time.

#

"So, what is all this food for? They're not going to eat all these right? Or has Sam become a bigger pig then I remember?" Emily had been finishing up cooking for the past few hours now. I've never seen so much food in my life, I swear. And I thought Rikki ate a lot? Oh this didn't even compare to her. There had to be fifty hamburgers sitting in a silver tray, they were steaming hot. There were at least a hundred hot dogs, and beside them were four bottles of mustard and ketchup. Six bowls of relish, onions, cheese, and peppers were sitting in between the two silver dishes. On one big platter were hot dog buns and hamburger buns waiting to be eaten. It all looked delicious, Emily was an amazing cook. Big bowls of corn, chips, and fries were made as sides for the guys and me. It was an unbelievably unhealthy meal but having it just for tonight wouldn't hurt.

"They all eat a ridiculous amount, it's hard to believe they're not fat." I could see my brother and his friends sitting around the fire pit. They tried to get it to work but they had no luck, they couldn't get it on. So they threw a couple matches in there instead.

"Need any help?" I asked.

"No, no. It's all done," she clasped her hands together, "feel free to take as much as you want first." She handed me a paper plate. I piled it with a hot dog, chips, and fries. Emily too made up her plate and put it aside, making sure the guys wouldn't touch it. I filled a red SOLO cup with cold water and while Emily made her way outside to tell the others that dinner was ready, I kept to myself and decided to go eat in the living room. I watched Emily kiss Sam as they all stood up around the pit. I silently sighed and made my way into the living room and sat myself on the couch and began quickly eating my food.

"Guys, we'll discuss this later." Sam announced as they all piled in the kitchen. I listened to them talk about stuff I didn't even know about. I popped the last fry in my mouth and washed it down with water. I was so unbelievably full I thought I'd throw up. I placed my empty plate on the wooden coffee table and rested my head in my palm, unknowing what to do next.

"Hey, I've been looking for you." My head rose to find Jacob standing outside the hallway that lead to the living room.

"Found me." I blankly replied.

"Why don't you come and join everyone?" he offered, leaning against the wall. I turned away from him and looked down to my hands.

"I'm not a very social person." I admitted. At this point, Jacob was aware something was wrong.

"You okay?" his brows furrowed.

"Just thinking." Jacob took his seat beside me on the couch.

"And what would you be thinking about?"

"Stuff back home." Why did Jacob care so much? I hardly knew him.

"Stuff? Like? Friends? Mom? _Boyfriend_? School?"

"Mostly my friends. Not at all about my mom, I'm used to her leaving. I'm pissed at her anyways."

"Boyfriend and school?"

"No boyfriend for me, so no problems. School? Yes, I'm nervous. It's weird, it's absolutely the same wherever you go. There's always the same cliques and the same types of people. I absolutely hate meeting people." I sighed.

"It's not all that bad." Jacob shrugged.

"What's Forks High School like then?"

"Well, not to sure. I don't go there."

"You don't? Where do you go?"

"I go to school on the reservation."

"Great. That's one less person I know."

"What grade are you in?"

"Eleventh."

"Twelfth." He replied for himself.

"Oh, big senior." I commented.

"Yup. Top of the class." Jacob nodded in success.

"If you're a senior, how do you even know my brother? Your, what eighteen-nineteen? My brother's twenty-five. There's a major age difference there."

"La Push is a very small town. You get to know everyone and anyone that's ever been here. Truthfully, I didn't even like your brother at first." He laughed.

"Neither did I." I smirked.

"Look! You're finally smiling! It only took long enough." Jacob expressed, making me suppress my smile but utterly failing. I'd been craving a good, heartfelt, real smile the past few days.

"I needed that."

"I know you did, don't stress about tomorrow. It'll be fine." School was really the last thing I needed at a time like this. I wasn't in any mood to go meet new people and make struggling attempts to make friends. That was the worst part of moving: making friends.

"I was lucky to meet such amazing people back home. The three girls I was close with, they were the best friends anyone could ask for." Our secret made us even closer.

"And you'll meet just as great ones here. I promise." Jacob paused, putting a very warm hand over mine, "I'm going to go get some more food, want any?" I shook my head, "I'll be right back." He added, getting up and disappearing into the hallway. I non-knowingly smiled and shook my head at the fact he was getting more food. I picked up my cup and took a large sip, until I began couching from swallowing an ice chip. As I yanked the cup away from my lips, water spilled down my chest and seeped down my shirt.

"Crap." I whispered to myself. Immediately, I shot up from the couch and thought of the nearest bathroom, closet, or room. Instead, I dashed to the stairs and up into my bedroom.

"Ariana?" Jacob came back to the living room once I reached the top of the stairs. Three…two…

I launched myself into my room and slammed the door, immediately falling to the wood floor with a painful thump. I let out a breath I'd been holding in, blowing hair out of my face and I silently groaned.

"Ariana?" Jacob called again. Please stay downstairs! I could hear footsteps go halfway up the stairs.

"Yeah? Coming!" I frantically called, balling my fist over where I got wet.

"Where are you? Are you okay?" He called for me.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming!" In what seemed like forever, I sparkled blue and turned back to my human self. _Thank you_, I whispered. I scurried up and opened my door to find Jacob reaching the top of the stairs. He looked confused and worried.

"Sorry, I—I thought I heard my phone go off." I lied.

"Why was your door closed?" He wondered.

"Force of habit." Again, I lied.

"Are you s—"

"What are you guys doing?" Embry came halfway up the stairs, munching on a hamburger. We both looked and ignored him.

"Yeah, listen, I better go get some sleep for tomorrow. I'll see you both later." I waved to Embry and closed my door, letting out a breath of relief. Once again, that was way to close a call. It took me a minute to get a hold of myself, but then I pushed it aside and sent myself to the bathroom to change into my pajamas and get ready for bed. After brushing my teeth and changing into a dark red tank top and a pair of grey sweatpants, I realized I forgot my make-up remover in my room. As I headed back into my room, I began to tie up my long brown hair into a ponytail. When I arrived in my room, I found Jacob sitting on my bed. Of course, I looked like an idiot with my hands up in the air tying my hair up and I looked gross in my pajamas.

"Aren't you supposed to be downstairs?" I crossed my hands over my chest.

"Just wanted to see if you were okay, and I found this downstairs." He waved my phone in front of him. My eyes widened, trying to think of anything lie.

"No wonder I couldn't find it." I took it from him and looked at the screen, seeing I had a missed call and voicemail from Emma. At least it looked like someone had actually called me.

"So, are you okay? You just disappeared before I came back." he got off my bed.

"Yeah, just tired. It's nothing, really."

"If you so. Call me if you need anything."

"Sounds good. I'll see you…later." He smiled at my words while he walked out of the room.


	3. First Days Suck, Human or Not

A/N: Wow, I'm a liar and an idiot! I feel so bad :[ I told you guys I would upload by tomorrow…4 months ago. Don't kill me! School absolutely murdered me during April through early June and then a ton of other stuff happened. But I know that's no excuse, I uploaded on my other stories so no excuse at all! But I'm back and better than ever! Whoever has still kept with me all these months, I love you with my heart! I WILL be uploading tomorrow and latest Tuesday. I'm focusing on this story for the next few days so I get can 5 or so chapters out of my way. Anyways, without further adou, Ten Seconds Later! Oh right, and **please review**!

_**Chapter Three:**_

_**First Days Suck, Whether You're Human or Not**_

_**Chapter Song: This Time Next Year by Goldhawks**_

First day of school. You're probably feeling a bit excited to see your friends once again, and maybe a little sad that summer is over. Well, more than a little, actually a lot. Some kids feel nervous or scared; usually that's the Freshman. But by Junior or Senior year, you're a total pro at it. Luckily these new worries stick around for a day or two, then you get back into the whole routine until summer rolls around again. Well, not me. As many times as I've gone to a new school, I've never become an old pro at doing the first day. Truthfully, I hated meeting new people and I wasn't to fond of school either—acting more like Rikki in that case. With my insecurities and now, my new secret to protect, I was more nervous on top of being scared.

Pulling up my slouch boots over my dark wash skinny jeans, I stood up from the unmade bed and glanced at the mirror. Unfortunately, deciding whether to wear Carmen Harness or Pedro Garcia boots wasn't the only problem of the morning. Going to school was the main problem, making friends and not exposing my secret was the other. I hugged my black leather jacket over my long sleeved, V-neck, aubergine colored shirt. Grabbing my backpack and slinging over my shoulder, I checked myself in the mirror one last time, fixing my oval locket, which was turned around facing the wrong way.

"And Zane bought it for you?" I examined Rikki's locket, my distorted reflection looking back at me. A red jewel sat at the top of it.

"It was just sitting in the store. At least I got it back from Miriam-that bitch." She scowled. Miriam, Zane's ex girlfriend, had always gotten under Rikki's skin. She hated her more than a kid hated Brussel Sprouts. But it wasn't like her dislike for Miriam was unreasonable, Miriam had plenty of enemies, and they all had perfectly good reasons to be her enemies. She was a stuck up plastic Barbie who hung around her just-as-plastic Barbie doll friends. Each carrying their Louis Vuitton hand bags with their freshly manicured hands, stepping their small steps in their expensive Christian Louboutin heels, flaunting their gorgeous blonde hair and newly redone perfect noses. Each school had their Miriam's. Bitchy, popular, Cheerleaders who liked to kill others hopes, dreams, and self esteem.

"So we've got three out of four." I sighed; everyone had their lockets but me. Rikki and I sat at a small café table outside the Juice Net Café, one of the most popular hang out and eatery on the Gold Coast. Rikki picked at her hamburger and crispy fries, which sat in a red plastic food basket, on top of red and white checkered wax paper. I placed her necklace on the top of the stainless steel tabletop. She wiped her greasy hands on a crumbled napkin and clasped the locket around her neck.

"They're coming up at the weirdest times. We've learned that, so we'll find yours, just at an unexpected time." She assured, popping a fry dipped in ketchup into her mouth. A ground of young teenagers, not more than thirteen or fourteen, came out the side door of the café. One holding a white take out bag filled to the top with food, another holding a wallet along with a clear plastic cup containing a yellow smoothie mixture, and the last girl only holding her smoothie. Laughter erupted from the group as the girl holding the food turned their phone to the other two girls.

"That's so _ridic_!" The girl only holding the smoothie obnoxiously laughed. _Re-dick_, she pronounced the shortened word. Who says that? Rolling my eyes, I took a sip of my smoothie. I looked to her, and something shiny caught my eye. A silver locket around her neck. My locket. My eyes grew to the size of baseballs, and I coughed a bit as I quickly swallowed my sip of smoothie.

"Like now!" I pointed a finger to the girl.

"What?" Rikki took a drink and turned her head around.

"Wow, talk about ironic." She patted a napkin over her mouth and wiped her hands, quickly getting up from her chair. I followed. The girls were walking down towards the sidewalk that led to the parking lot, probably waiting for their mom.

"Hey, wait!" Rikki ran after them, they stopped and turned their bodies towards us, giving us confused and dirty expressions.

"Where'd you get that locket?" Rikki asked, as I caught up to them. The blonde girl looked to Rikki, chewing on her artificial strawberry flavored gum.

"Um, I found it." Her friends looked to her in the same expressions Miriam would give her friends. Baby plastics.

"Where?"

"At the beach. Why do you care?"

"Uh, I lost it a few weeks ago. Can I have it back?"

The girl laughed and flipped her hair back. "No way."

"But it's mine." I barked.

"Well I don't know that. Sorry, finders keepers." She shrugged and began to walk away.

"Twenty bucks." I called. The girls stopped in their tracks and turned around, eyebrows raised.

"I'll give you twenty." I sighed, arms crossed against my chest.

"Thirty." She played.

"No way! You got it for free, I'm not giving you thirty bucks for my necklace."

"Take it or leave it." She tapped her foot.

"Fine." Rikki chimed in, pulling a ten-dollar bill from her pocket. Rikki wasn't rich, but she wasn't on the verge of being homeless, but still, I couldn't let her pay.

"Rikki, no." I disagreed, putting the money back in her pocket. I pulled out a twenty and a ten, giving it to the devious teen, she snatched it out of my hand. For the record, I wasn't the richest person either, not as rich as Cleo or Emma that is. But I wasn't as poor as Rikki. But I defiantly didn't have thirty dollars to burn, but this necklace meant the world to me. The little brat took off her-my necklace and handed it to me.

"Enjoy." She sneered and walked away.

"Well at least I got thirty bucks out of it, I should have charged her more. It was defective anyways, it wouldn't open" She giggled and walked to her moms Escalade. I sighed; at least I had my locket.

"Well, this was certainly a change of events." Rikki pursed her lips, I nodded back. Then we went back to our table to eat the rest of our food, if it was even still there.

I shook myself out of my day dream, remembering how I had acquired my precious locket. Smiling to myself in the mirror, I walked downstairs awaiting the day ahead of me.

"Sam? Emily?" I called, my voice bouncing off the thick walls. Nothing.

"Helloooo?" I dragged on, but to my dismay no one answered.

"Damn it Sam I swear to God if you left me here without a ride, I'll kill you." I muttered. I made my way into the kitchen to find it perfectly untouched. Maybe they're sleeping a bit late, or maybe they're outside. Taking a glass out of the wooden cuppord, I reached into the fridge and grabbed a glass of orange juice and poured it. I placed the juice back in the fridge and turned around and looked onto the granite-topped island. A note simply laid on the counter waiting for me.

_Dear Ari,_

_Em's car broke down when she tried to go to work, had to take her in my car. Jake's picking you up at 7:45, have a good first day!_

- _Sam_

_P.S- Try not to hate school so much._

I laughed at Sam's note. Mom probably told him about my hate for school, and learning, and people. Turning to the clock, I saw it was twenty till. Jacob, or Jake, would be here in five. Toasting a piece of bread and buttering it along with downing my orange juice, I managed to finish in my time slot. When two honks came from the driveway, I put my dishes in the sink and ran to his car. A gloomy shade of grey was cast over the small town of Forks. The sky was covered in clouds and not a bit of baby blue sky (or sun) was visible. An old Chevy truck sat in the driveway, the motor purring. Slamming the door when I got in, I threw my bag down onto the messy floor of the truck.

"Well hello to you too" he laughed, "what's got you this morning?"

"Everything." I sighed. Jacob pulled out of the driveway and sped down the street.

"First day of school blues?"

"Yeah, I hate it. Thanks for picking me up by the way."

"No problem."

"Thanks, Jake. It means a lot." I laughed. He had gotten me out of my funk and made me laugh a little. For once, my mind came off Australia, my friends, my problems, and my secret, and went into my new life here and stuff about Jacob.

"Sorry, I meant Jacob. Sam wrote me a note saying Jake, kind of stuck in my head." I blushed. Jacob pulled into the Forks High School parking lot.

"Nothing to be sorry about, everyone calls me Jake. Feel free to call me Jake too." He offered.

"Hmm, Jake. I like it." I smiled, and so did he. He stopped in front of the drop off line and began to stare at two cars, a red Mercedes Benz convertible and a silver Volvo C30, that just pulled into parking spaced close to us. Two cars that didn't compare to each other. Jake let out a growl as he stared at the people getting out of the car. Wait, did he just growl? And he was shaking.

"You okay?" I looked at him, his tensed expression shook off a bit when he turned back to me.

"Uh, yeah, sorry." He apologized, turning his attention back to the six people getting out of the cars. When they faced in the direction of us, they stopped in their places and whispered to each other.

"I'm taking it as you know them."

"Yeah, we're not on the best of terms, you could say that."

"Right, okay. Thanks again for the ride." I grabbed my bag and jarred open the door, kicking it open with my foot.

"Need a ride home?"

"I think I'll walk home. It's not that far, I'll survive." I assured, shutting the door, walking into the unfamiliar building filled with unfamiliar students. Whispers and gossip erupted the moment I stepped a foot onto the dirty, overly waxed, vinyl flooring. I wanted to just scream out "_I'm right here! I can hear all of you",_ but I kept my mouth shut.

"Another new girl? Maybe she's better than Bella."

"Ugh, anyone's better than Bella. After she got with Edward she just acts so strange." Two girls chatted, comparing me to some Bella girl. The farther I walked, the more whispers I heard.

"Hey Tyler, try not to hit this one with your car." A muscular football player laughed at an African American boy, who I presumed to be named Tyler, beside him. Tyler rolled his eyes, slammed his locker shut, and walked away. Eventually, I found the office. The door creaked as I opened it, which alerted the woman at the desk that I was here. Her face looked up, her glasses falling onto the bridge of her nose.

"Good Morning sweetie, what can I do for you today?"

"I'm Ariana Uley. I'm new, just moved here."

"Ah! Another new student! This must be a record." She chuckled.

"I've heard." I pursed my lips, awkwardly waiting for my schedule.

"Here's your schedule, and here's a map of the school. Do you drive yourself to school? If so, you'll have to pay for a parking spot and have a num—"

"My brother drives me, I don't drive." I shrugged.

"Okay, well then you're all set. I'm sure you wont have any trouble but you have the map and you can always ask someone if you're extremely lost."

"Will do. Thank you!" I grabbed my stuff and walked out of the office and into the lessened crowd of people. Algebra 2 started off my days here at Forks High school. Biology, History, Study Period, Lunch, Art and English preceded my first class and filled the rest of my day. Having most of my classes in the morning wasn't something I was looking forward to. Thankfully, finding the Algebra room wasn't hard at all. While walking through the doorway, I collided with someone whose head was turned the other way, talking to the teacher. His book dropped to the ground and landed with a thump. The boy's head snapped around. His short blonde hair wisped in different directions and his blue eyes blinked, looking at me.

"I—I'm sorry." He apologized. I bent down and picked up his math book. He fixed his blue and gold football jacket. A large 'F' iron on embroidered letter was on the right breast pocket. The boy was pale, almost the same complexion as Rikki. But he reminded me of Lewis, he looked the slightest bit like him.

"My fault." I admitted, handing the book back to him.

"I've never seen you before. Are you new here?"

"Yeah, it's my first day."

"I'm Mike. Mike Newton."

"Ariana Uley."

"Where are you from? You're tan, so obviously not from around here." He laughed.

"I actually just moved here from Australia."

"Where's your accent Aussie?"

"I've moved around a lot. I'm originally from the states, I just have been living there the past three years."

"Newton! Are you going to your locker or not?" The teacher yelled.

"Yes Mr. Varner" he mumbled and looked back to me, "we'll talk later Ariana." He smiled and walked past me. As sneaky as possible, I tried to go take my seat so the mean looking teacher didn't say a word to me.  
"Everyone take your seats!" He yelled, slamming his 'World's Best Math Teacher' mug on the scratched up desk cluttered with ungraded papers.

"Not you!" He pointed a finger to me as I past him, blending in with his other students. I winced, so much for the so-far-so-good acting normal plan. I turned to him unwillingly and gave a fake smile.

"Eh, eh, eh," the teacher wagged a plump finger in the air, "come here." He demanded, leaning against the front of his desk.

"Yes?"

"You're not in my class, why are you here?"

"Not to be rude or anything but I actually am, this is my first day of school and it said I have Algebra 2 with Mr. Varner in room 204, now unless this isn't Algebra 2 and you're not Mr. Varner, my mistake." I shrugged, and then noticed everyone was in their assigned seats. Even Mike had gotten back.

"Name?"

"Ariana Uley."

"Fine. Introduce yourself to the class then go take a seat."

"Class, new student." His voice bounced off the white walls. Now it was my turn to speak. Take it away, Ari!

"Uh, I'm Ariana Uley, hey." I plainly introduced myself, obviously not caring and clearly bored out of my mind. A mutter of hello's came to me from the students as I took an empty seat behind Mike. Then the lesson began. Mr. Varner's monotone voice could easily send me daydreaming, and that's just what I did.


	4. Pretty Girls Have Ugly Secrets

_**Chapter Four:**_

_**Pretty Girls Have Ugly Secrets**_

_**Chapter Song: Secrets by The Pierces**_

"Hey Aussie, wait up!" Mike Newton, my newly acquired boy friend said as I walked the halls of the jail also known as high school.

"Yeah?"

"What do you have next?"

"Biology."

"Man, I have that sixth period. I can walk you if you want."

"Don't you have to get to class?"

"It can wait."

"I like your thinking." I laughed and we walked side by side.

"So tell me, what's Australia like? Is it filled with Kangaroo's and awesome surfers?" He dreamed, but I replied with a laugh, killing his meant-to-be dream thoughts.

"The only Kangaroos I've seen are in the zoo. But, correct tons of awesome surfers. But let's see, how to describe Australia. It's the most amazing place in the world. The beaches are to die for, the food is awesome, and the guys are hot. Well you wouldn't care about that but whatever. The ocean is like anything you would ever see. So many coral reefs and the fish are so unreal, the dolphins swim along you, it's so cute." I giggled.

"Wow they come up that close on the beaches?"

"Of course not." I said, then stopping myself.

"Do you dive or something?"

"Oh uh, I used to go on boat rides with my friends and we would go pretty far out and just swim in open water." I covered up. Truth was, when swimming back home, as a mermaid, the dolphins swam right beside you. They loved us, even though they technically couldn't figure out what we are.

"That's sick! So you swim? Hey, one day you should come to La Push beach with us sometime this week? We all go body boarding, it's pretty cool. We could teach you."

"Oh, I don't know. The waters pretty cold and I don't do stuff like that anymore. Besides whose this 'we'?"

"Oh come on, we wear body gloves so it keeps us warm! The waves are insane. Wait, you don't do stuff like that anymore? Great, so you already know how to do it. And the we is me, Angela Weber, Jessica Stanley, Eric Yorkie, Tyler Crowley, and a few other people in our class."

"One problem, don't know any of them." I awkwardly commented, switching away from the subject of the beach since in my secretive reasons, I couldn't get wet.

"You'll meet them at lunch today. I'll meet you at your last period class, what is it?"

"Oh wow, thanks. It's Study Period, don't know wh—"

"Don't worry, right around the hallway from my class."

'Right, or you can find it." I nodded.

"Bio's right there. See you later Ariana." He waved and pointed to the door two steps ahead of me. I walked into the large room equipped with every sort of lab equipment known to man, a dozen lab tables with two seats to each desk, a white board, and an overhead projector. A curly haired middle-aged man stood with his back to the class at the board writing notes down with his black Expo marker. While walking in the middle of the sets of desks, a hand grabbed my wrist and I snapped my body around.

"Hey." A long haired asian boy greeted and took his hand away from me.

"Hi…" My voice trailed off.

"You're Ariana Uley, right?" He questioned, blinking his brown eyes to me.

"Uh yeah, how'd you know that?"

"Yeah, how'd you know that?" I suspiciously asked.

"When there's a new girl, everyone knows." He laughed.

"Great, I'm already the talk of the school." I huffed, rolling my eyes.

"I'm Eric Yorkie."

"Oh, you're Mike's friend, right? He mentioned you earlier."

"Yeah! Whatever he said, it's a lie!"

"He said you we're going to La Push or something, you can calm down."

"Ha-Ha, right. Anyway, are you in this class?"

"Yup, that's why I'm here."

"Great! Don't worry about Mr. Molina, he's harmless."

"Good to know. I'll see you around."

"Come sit with us at lunch later, you'll know me and Mike. But if you need anything else, study buddy, lunch date, anything, just ask me."

"Thanks." I nodded, barley listening and walked to the teacher. More and more students filled the room each second past.

"Excuse me, Mr. Molina." I said impatiently after waiting a few seconds for him to turn around.

"Yes…oh how can I help you miss?" Ugh, here we go again!

"Yeah, I'm in your class. I'm new here—"

"Ah yes! Adrianna was it? I'm Mr. Molina."

"Ariana, but close."

"Sorry. Nice to meet you."

"Like wise."

"You can take your seat next to Alice in the fourth row." He pointed to a short, pale, girl with a sparkly backpack.

"Okay." I turned back around and took a seat. The girl was pale, almost to pale for someone who lived in a place with no sunshine. All the other people here weren't even as pale as her. She had had short, black hair that spiked out in different direction. Her eyes Her eyes were a golden color. They were so unusual. She was wearing dark blue skinny jeans that accented her tiny figure. Her Michael Kors Sequined tank glittered off the fluorescents on the ceiling. On top of her sparkly shirt was a casual black blazer. Her catwalk84 mesh studded ankle boots with a six-inch heel made her look way taller than she actually was. She was at most 5 feet tall, not any taller possibly shorter. I noticed her from the parking lot. She was one of the girls from the group in the cars that Jake was…growling at.

"Hi! I'm Alice. You're new here?" I've never heard a person so happy the second period of the day.

"Yeah. I'm Ariana."

"You're pretty tan. Where are you from?" She sat down in her seat. Alice was stick thin but she was muscular, damn she was lucky.

"Gold Coast, Australia. And thanks, I guess I'm tan compared to people here." I chuckled. The thought of loosing my tan day by day killed me. I loved sun bathing and how it felt. Falling asleep basking in the sun on the quiet beaches of Mako Island was my favorite past time. It was so easy to just slip into a calm state of sleepiness on Mako's sand, the regular beaches on shore were crowded and loud. Silently I sighed, I missed Mako.

"Australia? I've always wanted to go there! Is it amazing as it looks?"

"More amazing than any picture can display." I chuckled.

"Sounds wonderful. I just noticed, you don't have an accent. Why's that?"

"Oh, I'm not from Australia. I'm actually from here in the states. But I've moved all over the world because of my mom's job. I've just lived in Australia for the past three years."

"Wow. Where else have you been?"

"Uh, Hawaii, North Carolina, and Italy."

"I love Italy! They have the best shopping."

"Yeah, it was pretty awesome. Italy was one of my favorites. There food was to die for. The streets that had all the restaurants smelled absolutely amazing."

"Agreed. Speaking of things smelling amazing, you smell really good."

"Huh? Oh thanks, it's Marc Jacobs." Well, that was a weird compliment since I just met her.

"No problem. So how do you like Forks so far? It must be a huge change from Australia."

"It's a major change. I don't really like it. I hate the rain." I looked out the window behind Alice, it had started to drizzle. The rain better stop by lunch, because if not, I'm totally screwed. At least all my classes were in the same building.

"Really? Why?"

"It's just so dreary." I lied. Yeah the rain is dreary, but the old Ariana, the one who wasn't a mermaid, would have loved it. When I was little, even in my early teenage years, I played out in the streets while it poured, splashing my feet in the puddles.

"You probably should get used to it. Forks is almost always under a constant cloud cover. But to look on the bright side, there always is the occasional day that is bright and sunny. If it gets hot enough it's enjoyable."

"Well, I can't wait for days like that." I sighed, staring out the window. Raindrops dripped down, blurring the window's view.

"Hey Aussie! Wait up." A voice called from behind me. Turning around, I spotted Mike winding his way in between people in the crowded hallway. Once he got to me, he smiled, letting out a big breath.

"Hey Mike." I smiled. I was happy for two reasons: the day was so close to being over, and it had stopped raining.

"I was picking you up at Study Hall, remember?"

"Right! Oh god, I'm sorry I forgot."

"Don't worry, I got you." He winked, and we walked to lunch. Standing around a circular lunch table, I felt a dozen eyes staring at me. There were three girls sitting at the tale with two guys. They looked at Mike, then to me. I noticed Eric, the super smart Asian from my Bio class, but I didn't notice anyone else.

"Hey Mike." The black haired girl with glasses was the first to speak up.

"Hey guys. This is Ariana. She's from Australia." Mike introduced me. A chorus of hellos followed. I took a seat next to Eric and a girl with wavy brown hair. Her skin wasn't as pale as everyone else's, but I was the slightest bit tanner. And I wasn't even the tannest person in Australia.

"Mikey! You met my girl Ariana." Eric laughed, high fiving his buddy.

"Dude, I didn't know you knew her." He laughed.

"Wow, it's like having Bella all over again." The girl next to me scooted closer, "I'm Jessica." She smiled.

"Ariana." I nodded my head, throwing my backpack to the ground.

"Well I see you've met dumb and dumber over there. That's Angela Weber,"

"Hi!" Angela smiled at me. I greeted her.

"Over there is Tyler Crowley and that's Lauren Mallory." She pointed from the African American boy I spotted earlier and then to a girl with silky blonde hair and blue eyes. Tyler said hello to me while Lauren sneered me, not even bothering to say hello. Feeling left out since everyone else had already began eating; I pulled out a brown paper bag from my backpack and began eating a granola bar. Carefully, I unscrewed my water and put a straw in it. In the corner of my eye, I saw Lauren look at me strangely. After a while of talking about Australia and myself since every at the table, excluding Lauren, was so fascinated with it, I got bored. Looking across the table at Mike, I spotted Alice sitting all the way in the back next to a window with five other people, only one of them eating. She caught me staring and waved her hand, I waved back. Then she motioned for me to come over.

"I'll be right back." I said to Angela, who just commented on something I had said before. I got up and walked over to the table Alice was sitting at. She placed her phone down on the table.

"Ariana! I wanted you to meet my family. This is Jasper, my boyfriend. That's Rosalie and Emmett, and that's Edward and Bella Swan." She pointed from person to person. Rosalie looked at me with the same face Lauren had given me minutes ago. She looked like one of the classic jerks you had. She had flawless skin, perfect blonde hair, and the same golden eyes that Alice had. The boy she sat next to, Emmett, was big and muscular with short brown hair. He also had the same eyes. I looked back to Jasper, his curly light brown hair fell in his face. He blinked his golden eyes. Then my attention went back to Edward. He had a chiseled face, golden eyes, and bronze colored hair. They all had the same pale skin and golden eyes. Maybe it was hereditary. Then my attention turned to Bella. She had long brown hair, brown eyes, and slightly darker skin then them. She looked like your regular plain Jane, wearing a black plaid shirt and dark jeans with beat up converses.

"Hey." I greeted all of them.

"Hi." Bella shyly said. The rest of them said hi, all of them except Rosalie.

"Well I probably should go back, I'll see you guys later." I smiled and awkwardly walked back to my seat.

"Oh god, we're already loosing her to the Cullens!" Eric huffed. I looked at him strangely, not exactly understanding what he was talking about.

"Were you just talking to Alice Cullen?"

"Yeah. Why, do you know her?"

"I know _of_ her."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, Bella the brown haired one next to Edward, she used to hang out with us—" Angela started.

"And deserted us for the Cullen's. She only hangs out with them. She's so secretive. I don't trust her." Jessica finished.

"You don't trust her? Why?"

"I don't trust pretty girls like her, they have ugly secrets." Jessica said. My heart stopped. Was Jessica going to trust me? My secret wasn't ugly, it was just an unusual one. But we did do some pretty ugly things on full moons, so was my secret ugly? It didn't matter; she wasn't ever going to find out.

"So you don't trust any girl that's pretty?" I let out a fake laugh, like I wasn't hiding something.

"Yup, exactly. I wouldn't even trust someone like you, for all I know you could be hiding something," she laughed, "but I do. God sakes, if I was someone else I wouldn't even trust me. But I do trust myself, and I trust you. But I don't trust most people, like Bella for instance. I know she's hiding a secret, you can basically see it on her face. And the fact that she doesn't even talk to anyone but them, it's like those things on TV where the killers brainwash the victim, the victims totally Bella." Even though inside, my heart was racing and my blood was pumping over the limit in my ears, I still kept a calm expression on my face.

"That's so funny. I doubt she's brainwashed. She seems pretty normal. And I get that you don't trust people. The worlds pretty cruel." I admitted.

"Totally agreed." Angela overheard.

"Jessica's just over dramatic as usual. Bella's not pretty and she definitely doesn't have a secret. What is she? A psycho clown killer? Bella's just annoying and weird, something Jessica's heading to be. And why is she even bothering befriending the new girl, she's just as weird. " Lauren whispered to Tyler, I was close enough to catch it. Tyler rolled his eyes, shook his head disapprovingly, and took his tray up to be thrown away. I frowned, Lauren was the Miriam of the school. Discreetly tucking a hand under my arm, I balled it up into a fist, pointing at Lauren's drink. She looked at her clear plastic cup, the coke bubbling uncontrollably. Then, it exploded in her face. She screamed, and the cafeteria went silent. Everyone was looking at her. Most pointed and laughed quietly among themselves, others were shocked.

"Ugh! What the hell!" She yelled, the plastic cup rolling off the table and bouncing onto the floor. Coke dripped from her hair and down her face. Her mascara began to run.

"Lauren, what—" Jessica asked, shocked.

"Don't even! The coke, it's hot! Which one of you did this?" She pointed her finger around the table.

"Laur, I don't think any of us could have done that…" Tyler, who had came back to the table just in time for her to ask the last question, awkwardly added. Lauren loudly groaned, picked up her tote bag and swung it around her arm, and stormed out of the cafeteria. All six of us looked at each other awkwardly.

"That was weird." I covered up.

"Very." Jessica pouted out her bottom lip. Later on during lunch, Jessica and Angela explained that all the Cullen's were adopted, and they were all dating each other. So now I didn't find it as weird as I did when she told me.

The last bell of the day rang, letting me out of English. As quick as the bell took to finish ringing, three fourths of the students in the class were already heading out the door and to their cars. Left were the three geeks who stayed after to ask questions about the lecture the teacher had given, the one kid who fell asleep and had just woken up, and me. Well, now since I was out the door, minus me. I followed the winding sidewalk to the streets and began walking home. As much as I had the urge to go explore the dense forests. Occasionally there would be openings that would show how beautiful the forest actually looked. I wasn't the nature loving-tree hugging type of girl, but how could people not appreciate how amazing these forests were? Maybe living in this run down old little town would be that bad. Overhead, the skies were overcast and turning a dark shade of blue, meaning a storm was coming. And as if it was right on queue, a clap of thunder r, but I didn't seem to close. I knew this wasn't good for me, because the heavy clouds were filled with rain. Walking quicker, I ended up getting myself lost. Mentally, I smacked myself in the head. Of course I was going to get lost, I didn't even know how to get home from here! When we were in the car, it didn't seem like such a struggle, but now with the minutes counting down to how much longer it would be until it started raining, it was going to be a problem. The thoughts of just calling Sam, Emily, or Jake popped into my mind multiple times, but then when I thought about it, if it started raining while I was in the car with them, they would force me to get out and into the house, and everything would backfire and my secret would be exposed. Six and a half minutes later, I stopped in my tracks. Somehow I was to deep in my own thoughts to realize that I had ended up on a familiar street not to far from the house. A flash of lightning appeared over the skyline of trees, and thunder followed. Picking up my pace, I noticed I had gotten on a path between the forests. Not a huge forest, it was more like those little nature walks back home. In between the tree's I noticed the pathway to the house, so I hopped off the path and ran to the house. Once it was in sight, a little pressure lifted. I saw Sam's car in the driveway, along with Jacob's, and another extremely old, red, Chevy pickup that was in dire need of a paint job. Maybe Emily had to rent a car or something, or maybe it's one the guys. Who else would be here? Lightning flashed overhead, and I felt a drizzle of rain hit my arm. Quickly, as I ran up the driveway, I rubbed my arm with the end of my shirt, getting the water off of it so I didn't change on the porch. The second I was on the porch, the drizzling came down harder. Phew, that was way to close. I opened the unlocked door and threw my bag against the bottom of the stairs.

"Sam, I'm home." I called. I didn't get a reply from anyone, but I could here faint talking from the kitchen.

"Are you sure? There's nothing that could link them?" An unfamiliar voice quietly spoke in the kitchen.

"I'm sure." Jacob's voice said in the same exact tone.

"He said she was different then you guys." The girls voice spoke. As quietly as I could, I made my way into the kitchen and looked at the girl. I made a face in between confused and disgusted, which I did accidentally.

"Bella?" I stood in the hallway, surprised. She turned to me, her arms crossed over her chest. She was still wearing the same clothes she wore in school earlier; she turned to me in shock. Jacob did the same. How did Jacob know Bella? And vice versa!

"Oh, hi Ariana." She shyly greeted. Jacob smiled to me.

"Hi..." my voice faded, "not to be rude or anything, but what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was just stopping by to say hi to Emily, and Jake happened to be here, Emily happened to not." She chuckled.

"Right. Okay, well I'll see you later." I turned on my heel and was about to walk out of the kitchen when Jacob spoke up.

"Ariana, wait just a second." He made me stay while he spoke to Bella? Selfish.

"No it's fine, I probably should get going. Charlie is going to get worried. I'll uh, see you soon Jake. See you tomorrow Ariana." She walked past me and then out the door into the pouring rain. Out the front window, I could vaguely see her running to her car. Well if Jessica was right about her having a secret, we could cross mermaid off the list. She was soaked by the time she got into her car. I turned back to face Jacob, who was leaning against the island. I spotted Sam, Paul, Embry, Quil and Jared playing soccer in the backyard. I watched as Sam dove into the muddy grass to catch the ball. They were all shirtless, they either had khaki and blue shorts on. I saw them laughing as they played like boys out in the rain.

"How do you know her?"

"Mind telling me how you know Bella?" We spoke at the same time.

"I asked you first." He smirked.

"What are we, five?"

"Fine. She's an old friend of mine. We used to hang out making mud pie's in the driveway while our dad's sat in the living room and watched the game. She moved away for a while and then she came back to live with her dad. We were just catching up. Now, how do you know her?"

"Well this girl Alice that I'm semi friendly with introduced her to me. She's dating her brother or something. And besides, she's in one of my classes."

"Alice? As in Alice Cullen?"

"Wow, are you sure you don't go to Forks High? You sure seem to know a lot of people."

"You shouldn't go near them.

"Um, why?"

"We don't like them that much, we fight often."

"Okay, thanks dad." I barked a laugh.

"I'm serious, I'm sure Sam wouldn't want it either."

"Right okay I'll take that into consideration." I gave him a fake smile and then went to turn around, but he stopped me…again.

"By the way, how was school?"

"The usual. Basically boring, met a few people." I explained. Then the sliding glass door opened, leading the soaking wet boys into the kitchen area.

"Hey Ari! How was school?" Sam asked.

"Fine." I nodded.

"Got through it okay?"

"Yeah."

"I'm so proud. Give me a hug." He walked towards me, water dripping from his hair and down his face and down his chest and shorts.

"No!" I yelled immediately. All of them looked at me strangely.

"Uh, I mean, later." I covered myself up, trying to look less suspicious. Without a word, I turned around and headed for my room.


	5. A Homesick Mermaid

_**Chapter Five**_

_**A Homesick Mermaid**_

_**Chapter Song: Why Does It Take So Long? By Abandon**_

Two weeks later, everything was well in the town of Forks. Jacob and I were hanging out everyday after school, I spoke to Cleo, Emma, and Rikki every single day, and I became good friends with Jessica, Angela, Mike, and Eric. Everyday during lunch, the Cullen's and Bella watched me like a hawk. Alice was the only one who treated me normally, and didn't watch me like a crazed stalker. Sam was getting slightly suspicious of my whereabouts when I went swimming. Telling him that I was going sight seeing five times a week was definitely chary. It was making me apprehensive thinking that my stepbrother would eventually get tired and find out that I was lying to him and somehow figure it out. But I wasn't technically lying, right? I was sight seeing…in the ocean. Not much of a difference. Who was I kidding; I was already lying to myself. Today wasn't the best of all days for me. I was feeling homesick and lonely. The second I got home this afternoon; I slumped my bag down against the base of the stairs and dragged myself up to my room. I sat myself on my bed and just looked up to the ceiling for a good ten minutes. I was just thinking about life, which sounded kind of deep. My thoughts wandered from how I thought my life would be like if I wasn't a mermaid, and then onto thoughts such as what if someone exposed me. I then took my attention off the oh-so-interesting plain white ceiling and turned to the white wooded picture frame containing a picture of my three best friends and me. I remember the day like it was yesterday. The picture was taken on Mako Island with the photo credit given to Lewis and his new high tech, expensive professional camera. We all had on bathing suit tops and shorts. Emma had on a sky blue bikini top with white shorts, Cleo had a bikini top with hibiscus flowers printed on it, she also wore light blue shorts. Rikki's bathing suit top was pink and she was wearing a pair of black shorts. I was wearing a black top and white shorts. Rikki's hair was in a messy braid while everyone else's was worn down straight. A few minutes before the photo was taken, my hair was in a braid jus like Rikki's, but I took it out since it just got messier by the second. I sadly looked at the picture, remembering the fun times I had with my friends. Would those ever happen again? With me more than twenty thousand miles away from them, what was a mermaid to do? I could swim twenty thousand miles, but god that sounded painful. Besides the fact it would take me days to get there, it would hurt. Plane tickets were the smartest option for all of us, which was sad since it was expensive. I sighed.

"You okay?" A voice said, I jumped. I looked up to see Jacob leaning against my doorway. His short hair stuck up in different directions, it looked so soft and fluffy, it almost had a fifties look to it. He was wearing a black shirt with a peace sign on the right breast pocket with a white under shirt and a pair of dark jeans.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I straightened myself up and put the picture face down on the bed.

"You don't sound okay. How come I don't believe you?" He walked in slowly. Why did he even care? I met him two and a half ago weeks ago, not even, and he was just so protective. But I liked it. I sighed loudly.

"I don't know, maybe you don't trust me." I put on a fake laugh. Jacob looked at me seriously, knowing I was upset.

"Fine you caught me." I frowned. He took a seat on my bed right near me. He picked up the picture frame and looked at it.

"Miss your friends?"

"I miss them, I miss home, but mostly them."

"Were those your best friends?"

"Yeah, those and three other guys. But they were like my sisters."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I have sisters and I know it's an either or kind of thing." He laughed.

"You have sisters?"

"Yeah, two. Rachel and Rebecca Black."

"Rebecca Black? Like the singer?" I barked a laugh.

"No, the name Rebecca Black originally belonged to my sister," he smugly smiled, "Rachel's at college right now in Washington State, she's going for her pre law. And Rebecca's in Hawaii, she's going to be a dolphin trainer, she loves it."

"Wow, that's so nice. A dolphin trainer that be my dream job. But yeah, it was a good thing. There was nothing that could break up apart."

"Tell me about them."

"About my friends back home? Oh I doubt you want to hear about them."

"Well I just asked to, didn't I?"

"Well, if you say so. God, where do I even begin? This is Emma Gilbert," I pointed to the blonde all the way on the right of the picture, "she's a total neat freak and wants everything to be organized. She used to plan everything. She's amazingly smart and used to be on the swim team basically since she could walk. She's going out with a guy named Ash Dove, whom's one of the nicest guys I've eve met. He's got brown hair and eyes and he's a little tanner than me. Then there's Cleo Setori, who's in the middle, she's also super smart. She used to not be able to swim, but me and my other friends changed that. She gets jealous very easily and if you don't know her she seems pretty shy. Her boyfriend Lewis is this pale seventeen-year-old guy with blonde hair and blue eyes. Like Cleo, he's really into science, and he's trying out for a marine biology course in colleges. In fact, he was interning this woman named Dr. Denman who was this marine biology obsessed crazy lady, but he quit. But he said it was nice while it lasted. He's the one who took the picture. Right next to me is Rikki Chadwick, the rebel of our little group. She moved a few months after I moved to Australia. She was the girl who wasn't afraid to do anything. She once stole a spark plug from her now boyfriend Zane's boat and she even got so angry that a guy was lying to her once, she pushed him off a dock and called the police on him. Her mom died a while ago she lives with her dad in a trailer. She hid that from us for a while, but after an accident with Zane she invited us over for a barbeque. Right, and that leaves Zane Bennett. He's got dark brown hair and eyes, kind of like Ash, but he's tanner. Zane's this majorly rich stuck up guy who we used to hate when I first came. He uses his dad's money to get anything he wanted. After a few months him and Rikki started secretly dating until we found out when we were coming out of a movie theater. They didn't see us but we eventually confronted her. But after we got to know him a little better and he saved us from a certain situation, and then he grew on me. A lot. Ash didn't come in until the last year I was in Australia, so we haven't been through all that Zane and Lewis have been through with us, but we've still shared a fair amount with him."

"Wow, you all sound so different. How did all of you become friends?"

"We bonded over something we had in common. Whether we liked it or not we basically had to live with it, but we grew to like it and we grew up the past three years together a sisters."

"And this bond was?"

"I wish I could tell you." I smiled half-heartedly. I felt bad, I trusted Jacob with all my heart, and I could trust him with my secret, but I didn't know him well enough. What I did know well enough was that I was falling for him, which was an issue. I promised myself no boyfriend with the mermaid secret. Even though all my other friends had boyfriends, who even knew about the secret, I thought I would be the one who would mess up around one certain guy and expose my self and he would totally freak and tell the world. My worst nightmare.

"Why can't you?"

"I don't know, it was after this whole accident thing that happened and we kept it to ourselves. It doesn't feel right." I half told the truth.

"An accident? What kind?"

"We got stranded on a boat and got stuck on an island a ten or so Kilometers off shore."

"Kilometers, like miles, right?"

"Correct." I smiled.

"Jacob, get down here man!" Quil called from downstairs, most likely in the kitchen. I recognized Sam and Emily's voice down there, along with the possibility of Embry and Paul. There was a 99.9% chance that the whole Scooby Doo Gang; Sam, Jacob, Paul, Embry, Quil and Jared, were down there. Then again, when were they never here? It was like they never left.

"I probably should get going before Sam kills me, I'll see you later, Ari." He smiled, got off my bed and went out of my room. I heard the creaking of the stairs as he went down them step by step. I hadn't even noticed the large smile I had on my face, Jacob has never called me Ari, my nickname, before. I liked it almost as much as when he said 'Ariana'.

Twenty-three minutes and a bag of chips later, I walked back into my room to hear my phone buzzing on the night table next to my bed. 'Mike Newton' popped up on the caller ID. Being the nice person that I was, I picked up the phone, but that was after I debated whether or not to answer it.

"Hey Mike." I greeted.

"Hey Ariana. What's up?"

"Nothing much. You?" I began to wonder what the point of the conversation was.

"What are you doing right now and tonight?" He asked, ignoring my 'what's up with you' reply.

"Absolutely nothing. I've been in my house staring at my ceiling for the past hour." I laughed.

"Good, because we're all going to First Beach since it's surprisingly warm out. We're gonna go body boarding and surfing and stuff."

"Oh Mike, I cant." I tried to act disappointed. But inside, I kind of was since I couldn't go surfing with my regular human friends.

"But why? You just said you weren't doing anything." I cursed at myself, I had said I wasn't doing anything. This was an awkward situation. I could always say I was feeling sick and fake a cough or two, but I was expecting that whole 'Boo you whore' reply and him getting overly angry at me since I acted fine in school. There was no way out of this fishy situation—literally. There was a short pause in between, and I could hear Mike typing on his computer keyboard on the other line.

"Fine. But I'm not going in the water or going surfing or anything."

"Oh come on, you said you were awesome back in Australia."

"Yeah but that was a different time. Where should I meet you?"

"First Beach, wherever you see our cars just meet us. You need a ride?"

"Nah, I'll walk. Thanks though."

"Okay, see you in a few." He said, I hung up without a goodbye. Damn, I shouldn't have answered the phone.

**A/N: I know, short chapter. But it's leading up to really good one's :] I've already planned up to chapter ten. I'm so excited! Review please !**


	6. Little Miss Mermaid To The Rescue

_**Chapter Six:**_

_**Little Miss Mermaid To The Rescue**_

_**Chapter Song: Farewell to the Fairground by White Lies**_

After taking my leisure walk to the beach, I found Mike and the whole crew crowded around Tyler's car. Even a half-mile before I could get to the beach, I heard the waves crashing, most likely a perfect day for surfing. It was a fairly nice day outside. The temperature was warmer than usual, and the sun was peaking through the thick clouds. The sky was no wear near a perfect blue, but it was a shade of light grey, and so were the clouds. The water was a mixture of dark grey and blue; the white caps were the brightest things out there.

"Hey look, it's Ari!" Mike announced to the group, he waved me over.

"Hey guys." I said, putting my tote bag down on the pavement. It slumped over. Tyler's van door was open and Jessica was sitting on the floor of it. I took a seat next to her, leaning my back against the side of the seat. Jessica was already dressed in a blue and black wet suit while Mike, Tyler, Angela, and Eric were still suiting up in their black wetsuits.

"Hey Eric, zip me up?" Angela stopped fiddling with the zipper on the back of her wetsuit and walked over to Eric. Tyler walked over to the trunk and got his board out.

"You sure you don't want to go, Ariana? I've got an extra board in the trunk."

"I hate going in cold water. And besides, I don't surf any more." Once everyone was suited up and surf boards in hands, we all got up my leaning or sitting in Tyler's car and walked down the beach. My sandal was submerged by sand; it stuck between my toes and on my heel. The group stopped at a certain spot a few yards from the ocean, so thankfully there was no way of me getting wet. A wave could never wash up this far. I kicked off my sandals and took my beach blanket out of my bag, waving it out and putting it on the cool sand as neatly as I could. They all put their stuff down next to me. Angela and Jessica put their hair up in ponytails.

"So Angela, I'll teach you, it's easy. You just got to be careful." Eric staked his surfboard in the sand.

"Thanks Eric, I'm sure I can figure it out."

"Great. But you need to take your glasses off, we don't need them falling in the water."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, how bad do you see without them? Mike stepped into the conversation.

"I can see, but not 20/20. It's kind of blurry. But I wont do something stupid, I'm sure I'll be fine." Angela picked up her board, along with the other boys, and walked down to the water. Tyler and Jessica looked at me.

"Sure you're okay sitting here?" Jessica asked, playing with her ponytail.

"I'll be fine, go surf." I told her, and then both of them went off.

For the next hour and forty-five minutes, I watched Eric successfully teach Angela how to surf, Mike flirting with Jessica, and Tyler laughing at Angela every time a wave threw her off her board. But Angela was getting the hang of things pretty quickly; she caught on faster than anyone I've ever seen. I was sitting on my blanket quietly watching them. Occasionally I would take out my phone and check the texts that Cleo would send me. Apparently in Queensland, it was ten in the morning, while here it was just hitting five. Australia was a day ahead of us, and my friends were all sitting in the moon pool hanging out, texting me on a bright and sunny Saturday morning. And then there was me, who was a day behind, a whole country behind. I rested my phone on the towel to lazy to put it back, and watched as Jessica squealed when a wave hit her. Tyler was paddling back from going out pretty far. I heard him say that the waves were pretty rough, so he had to come back. Or something like that. Angela was getting overly confident in her newfound surfing skill and Eric found it enjoyable. Mike waded up to shore, holding his boarding between his arm and his side. Once he was on land, he threw his board to the ground and ran up the small hill of sand and went straight to his bag. He pulled out his Gatorade and took a swig, before carelessly throwing it back on his bag.

"Come on Ari, let me see you surf." He walked over to me and ran a hand through his wet blonde hair that was sticking up. His Body Glove wetsuit was clinging to his body.

"Ange, come on back here." Eric, who was still out surfing, called out to Angela, who was paddling farther out.

"Mike, I told you I was done surfing."

"Nope, not until I see your surf." He laughed, his wet hand grabbing mine. Immediately I pulled back, and wiped my hand and wrist on my towel. He looked at me like I was a freak.

"Listen Mike, I got to go. Say bye to everyone from me, okay?" I threw my phone in my bag, got up, and rolled my towel into a ball, also stuffing it into my bag. I slung my tote bag over my shoulder and pushed a piece of hair out of my face.

"Okay. Are you okay? Sorry if I offended you or something." His cheeks went red. I felt bad that I made him embarrassed.

"No, you didn't. My brother just wants me home, so I'll see you Monday."

"Okay, bye." He faintly smiled, and then walked off to go get his surfboard. I decided to take the long way back, by walking on the beach. I turned to my right, and started walking down the long, sandy path of the beach. It was kind of like a nature walk, I took in the beauty of everything. The beaches were rocky, rockier than the Mako's beach, which was surprising. The waves, which now picked up and seemed stronger, weren't as nice as the ones in Queensland. There weren't any creatures on these beaches like the ones back home. Not even a seagull was in sight. There were tons of pieces of driftwood lying around. But that was basically it, driftwood and rocks. It was disappointing to not see a dolphin jump out of the water in the horizon, I was so used to it by now. All of the sudden, a few noises caught my attention. They were screams, but I was so far down the beach, I could barely hear whoever it was. I turned around and saw Mike, Jessica, and Eric all out of the water. They were screaming 'help'. They all looked like little black dots from where I was, that's how far down I was. Tyler was trying to get back to shore.

"The waves are to strong, I can't get her." He screamed. There were a few more calls for help, and I squinted my eyes to see who wasn't there. Angela. I looked out into the ocean and way far out; I could see a surfboard bobbing up and down on the waves. It was alone, not a person on it. A few feet from it I saw a black head of hair lifelessly getting pulled into the water. A wave crashed over her, the water was the only thing moving her. _This is what happens when you show off Angela_, I thought. She looked unconscious. Looks like little miss mermaids to the rescue. Again. I ran over to the closest bunch of rocks, and hid my stuff behind it. Knowing that my friends were to busy calling 911 to look over here, I ran into the water counting down to ten. I felt the water soaking through my shorts and onto the bottom part of my t-shirt. Once it was deep enough, I dove into the cold water and felt myself grow my tail. I kicked it a few times, getting myself out of the more shallow area, where my tail was hitting the sand. With all my might, I swam all the way to Angela. I stopped myself from swimming and treaded underwater, moving my hands at my sides in wavy motions. My hair was floating everywhere and I could see Angela's body dangling above me. I was right about that she was unconscious. I swam over to her board and grabbed the fin and brought it over to Angela. She was out cold; she was never going to noticed I was here. The second my head broke the surface, a huge wave toppled over both of us. Just to make sure I wouldn't be seen, I balled my fist over the water, making a cloud of steam appear around us. I threw Angela over her surfboard and ducked myself underwater, and started quickly swimming her back to shore. It was to dark for any of the group to see me, but I still was being careful. I stopped the closest I could without hitting my tail on the sand; left Angela there, and immediately turned around and swam far away. Poking my head out of the water many, many yards back, I watched as all four of them ran into the water to go get her. I heard sirens of ambulances and police cars heading towards the beach, so I swam away.

In almost impossible speed, I dried myself off, grabbed myself, and ran the opposite way of the drama scene with the police.

Sam slammed down his coffee cup on the table. He was reading the newspaper and eating his breakfast, made specially by Emily, who had just currently stopped slaving over the hot stove and sat down to eat some food. She wanted us to all have some quality 'family' time and have a meal together. So we did. I cut my pancakes with a fork, and shoved them in my mouth.

"These newspaper stories are ridiculous." Sam shook his head in disapproval.

"What are they saying now? Is it another murder?" Emily asked suspiciously, daintily putting a fork full of hash browns in her mouth. I picked up my glass of water, and put the straw in my mouth, taking a few big sips of my water. I watched Sam eye Emily, as if he was telling her something.

"Something about how a girl passed out while surfing and _something_ dragged her to shore safely. They are listing all the possibilities." He said, and I began choking on my drink. It took a few seconds before I was okay again.

"You okay, Ari?" Sam looked at me strangely. I coughed once more.

"Yeah."

"Dolphin? Sea monster? I think they're getting more ridiculous than what they put before. Angela Weber, isn't that your friend? Wait—didn't you go surfing yesterday?" Sam handed the paper over to Emily. She skimmed some of the lines.

"Yeah, I left right before then." I said, pushing around food on my plate. I took off the wrapper on my fresh baked warm chocolate chip muffin.

"Wow, it says she was put in the hospital overnight." Emily ran a hand through her dark hair.

"Those waves are pretty tough for someone who's beginning to surf. And if she went out as far as they said, she's stupid." Sam openly admitted.

"Sam!" Emily jumped, her forks clinked on the white dinner plate.

"What? I'm just stating the facts." He exclaimed, Emily leaned her elbow on the table, cupping her palm around her forehead. She shook her head, annoyed with Sam.

"Emily, it's fine. It was stupid of her. My friend Eric, he kept trying to tell her not to go. But she did it anyways, I guess she was a little excited."

"Do me a favor and don't pull something like Angela did."

"Yes mommy." I winked and said in a fake baby voice.

"Shut up, Ari."

"Oh I miss being the only child." I laughed.

**A/N: Thanks for the many reviews guys :] Enjoy! Next chapter up in the next 48 hours. **


	7. Dangerously Close

_**Chapter Seven:**_

_**Dangerously Close**_

_**Chapter Song: Heartless by The Fray**_

The overcast, grey skies and cool 70-degree weather returned to Forks on Monday morning, and by Monday afternoon everyone was back into their funk again. Everyone except Alice, who still was as perky as ever. The whole day everyone was circling Angela asking her if she was okay and what happened. I heard her repeat the story at least three and a half times. They swarmed her all day, like bees to honey or like Miriam to a major sale at Saks Fifth, or something like that. Early today during lunch, the group explained what happened after I left. They said it was the scariest moment of their lives and they're glad I wasn't there to witness it. Casually, I asked if Angela was okay and what pulled her in. Angela answered with the obvious; she was unconscious so she didn't know. Everyone else said they didn't see anything they were to busy calling 911. Angela mentioned she was thankful for whomever—whatever pulled her in. I wanted to blurt out 'you're welcome', but I held back my urge. Lauren Mallory was in a mood at lunch, making snide remarks at Angela saying how she was a terrible surfer and how she probably wants to stop embarrassing herself. At one point, Jessica told her to shut up. Then she did. Then bell to last period rang out, and everyone stood up, shuffling their papers into piles.

"Remember to read chapter seventeen for tomorrow, pop quiz on Thursday." The teacher stood up from sitting on his desk. Outside, I met up with my friends and we walked to where pick up and drop off was. A few cars were lined on the circular driveway, but since everyone drove here, the student parking lot was full.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow. Feel better babe." Eric hugged Angela and walked off to his car.

"Yeah, I probably should—" My eyes focused on something behind Angela's head—Jacobs truck. Then passenger window was open and I spotted Jacob giving me a wave. I gave him back a smile and a flirty wave, waving my fingers and not my actual hand. Angela, Jessica, and Mike all turned around and saw the truck.

"Ooh, who's that?" Jessica turned back to face me.

"Oh, it's just my friend Jacob."

"Jacob Black? Ugh." Mike grumbled.

"Wow, seems like I was the only person here who didn't know him before." I pursed my lips uncomfortably.

"He came to the movies with Bella and I. He was a major jerk. He laughed when I threw up." Mike sighed.

"You threw up from a movie." Jessica laughed at him. Angela joined in, and I did a little chuckle.

"I had the flu, not my fault! It was during that whole swine oh nine epidemic."

"Swine oh nine? Oh that's cute Mike." I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever, he's still a jerk." He shrugged.

"He's actually pretty nice. I like him a lot, he and his friends are always at my house hanging out with my brother."

"Is he drooling over you yet?" Mike adjusted his backpack.

"Um, what?" I gave him a weird look.

"He was so in love with Bella it was ridiculous. He looked at her like she was the greatest thing since sliced bread." Mike rolled his eyes. Jacob was in love with Bella?

"Yeah but Bella's got Edward now so I doubt he does anymore. But come on Mike, you were just as in love with Bella as he was." Angela cut in.

"First of all Mike, what is with your stupid little sayings today? Second of all, he said they were just old friends. But no, he's not drooling over me."

"Well he had a thing for her when she came back. I guess he gave up since it's obvious Bella and Edward are going to get married one day."

"Guys, it's only high school. Slow it down," I laughed, "I'll see you guys tomorrow, okay? Feel better Angela." After a chorus of goodbyes, I got into Jacob's car, threw my backpack on the floor, and buckled myself up. Jacob had the radio music on low, lightly filling the awkward silent moments.

"I didn't know you were picking me up."

"Sam asked me to last minute. He had some stuff to do and I was already out so thus I'm here."

"Very funny. Thanks for picking me up."

"No problem. How was school?"

"Boring. Repetitive. Everyone was surrounding my friend Angela freaking out over what happened."

"The girl surfed out to far and some creature dragged her in?" Jacob remembered, I snorted a laugh.

"Yeah, creature. But yeah, that's her." I sighed, and then I heard my phone ringing in my bag. I started searching through my bag for it. I eventually found it at the bottom of my bag.

"Sucks. At least she's ok."

"Hold on a second." I told Jacob, my phone alerted that Emma was calling me.

"Hey Em." I answered.

"Hey." She happily said.

"What's up?" I wondered.

"Hold on, I'm with the girls. I'll put you on speaker." She said, pausing for a minute.

"Hey Ari." Rikki called.

"Is that Ari on the phone?" I heard Cleo walk in.

"Yeah."

"Hi Ari!" Cleo yelled. I laughed.

"Hey Cleo, hey Rikki. What's going on?"

"Care to tell us more about the incident?" Rikki asked.

"I would, but I'm in the car with a friend right now." I bit my lip. In the corner of my eye, I saw Jacob look at me.

"What did the papers say?"

"Something about how no one knows what it was. Apparently some creature pulled her in. I was talking to the girl, Angela, today and she said she wanted to thank whatever did this to her. Sound familiar?"

"Oh my god, it's the Zane situation all over again." Emma gasped.

"No guys, I promise it's not the Zane situation again."

"It better not be. No one can find out."

"You think I don't know that? Anyways, speaking of Zane, how are you guys?"

"We're good right now. Just waiting for the next thing to spark up."

"Oh come on, you guys are great. What about you, Cleo? How's the Charlotte situation going?"

"Ugh, she's such a little scum bag! I hate her. So. Much." Cleo growled.

"Yeah, yeah we all do. What did the malicious little bitch do now?" I asked, looking ahead at the dark roads.

"She's just flaunting Lewis in my face. In my face, Ari! She's gloating."

"Try to handle her. It'll be okay. I'll come back just to punch her in the face, unless Rikki already did." I chuckled.

"No, but I'm about to. I'm sick of that prissy little happy face."

"Sorry you guys have to see that every day."

"It's okay, I've been trying to find out more about her." Emma chimed in.

"Like?"

"Minority stalking." She chuckled.

"Feel free, there's something fishy about her. And not in the way I mean. Promise me she wont figure out guys."

"Just as much as you can promise us no one there finds out."

"Crossing fingers!"

"We'll catch up on you later, alright?"

"Alright. Say hi to everyone from me." I sadly said.

"Will do." Cleo and Emma said and then we hung up.

"Ooh, well someone's extra snarky today. Trouble in paradise?" Jacob chuckled.

"Just this girl we don't like screwing up some things."

"Girl issues, not my favorite."

"Same. Especially this little devil we're dealing with."

"You're dealing with? You're another continent away, I'm sure they're dealing with it."

"It would work that way, but it's like this foursome fivesome thing that doesn't make any sense, really." I shook my head.

"Well, if you need to talk, I'm here."

"Thanks Jake, but enough talking about me. What's up with you?"

"Lately? Nothing much. Either hanging out at your house or fixing up my bike, damn thing broke."

"Really? What do you mean it broke?"

"I don't know, the wheels or some parts are just broken. I need to get someone to help me fix it but I haven't had the time to ask one of the guys."

"I'll help you." I offered.

"Really?" Jacob took his eyes off the road for a second to look at me.

"Yeah, I mean I'm not good with bikes, but I'll help you as much as I can."

"Wow, thanks. When's good for you?"

"How about now? I'm not really in the mood to go start homework. To lazy." I laughed; Jacob made a turn towards his house with a smile on his face.

"Wow, this is not the kind of bike I thought you meant." I laughed, walking into Jacob's small garage. A Harley Davidson motorcycle was leaning against the right side wall. The garage was empty expect for the bike, a rusted red tool box, and spare tools, tape, and scissors lying around. Junky stuff like that. Jacob's car was in the front, apparently there was no need for a garage for it.

"Did I use the wrong word for it? Is it like motorized bicycle or something?" Jacob said, laughing pretty hard. I couldn't help it and I did too.

"No, we do call them bikes, or choppers, or cycles. But, I don't know I just never thought you had a motorcycle. You never mentioned it."

"Never mentioned it because it was broken." He smirked.

"Good point. Okay, well still up for the help offer, so what do you want me to do?"

"Just pass me some tools and help me with leaning a few things." Jacob grabbed the bike and sat down on the garage floor, as did I. Give or take twenty five minutes or so of helping Jacob, eventually the garage door connected to the house opened up.

"Jake, Charlie's here, I'm going to his house." A mans voice said from inside the house. We both turned out heads, and I saw a man with Indian skin in his late forties. He had long black hair a few inches shorter than mine, and he was in a wheel chair.

"Oh, I didn't know we had a visitor." The man smiled. Jacob got up from the ground and walked over to his father with me.

"I'm Ariana. Sam's sister." I put out a hand, he shook it.

"Sister?"

"Well, technically step sister."

"Oh. I didn't know Sam had a step sister, did you just move here?"

"Three or four weeks ago, from Australia." I said, saying 'Australia' a bit more Aussie than American.

"I don't hear that cute little accent you Australians have."

"I'm not originally from there, I've just spent the past three years of my life there."

"Billy, come on trucks runnin'!" Another mans voice yelled, proceeded by two loud honks.

"Better get goin' or ol' Charlie will get pissed. It was nice meeting you, Ariana." He put out a hand and I gave it one last shake.

"Likewise." I smiled. Billy turned his wheelchair around and Jacob shut the door for him. We went back to our spaces on the floor and Jacob began his work once again.

"Your dad seems nice." I commented, handing him a wrench.

"He's loosing his mind, but I love him anyways." He chuckled. After a long pause of silence, I spoke up.

"So, I um, heard you knew Mike Newton." I awkwardly brought up, not daring to look Jacob straight in the eye.

"Couldn't imagine how that came up." Jacob said, turning his wrench to the right.

"He just saw you and mentioned that he knew you, that was all."

"I know he doesn't like me, you don't have to be shy about it."

"I'm not being shy about it. But how'd you know?"

"We've had our share of fights."

"Over Bella?" I blurted out. My heart stopped beating and my eyes grew wide once I realized what my big mouth had said. I cursed myself out, annoyed with how awkward this conversation was going to go. Maybe I should just get up and leave, would it be that obvious? It would be, but I didn't mean to bring it up! Had the topic been floating around in my mind, thinking how both Mike and Jacob loved Bella? Or mostly how Jacob was in love with Bella? Why wasn't he answering me back? How long has it been, seconds or minutes? I watched Jacob flinch at the reaction to my question, I guess its' only been seconds since I've actually said anything.

"Sorry," I rubbed the back of my neck, "I'm such a—I shouldn't have said that." My words came out completely jumbled. I didn't even finish a sentence.

"No, it's fine. I had a feeling this conversation was going to come up. Um, I was pretty jealous and selfish back then but I did fight over Bella."

"I thought you told me she was just a family friend?"

"We're going into the whole back-story now aren't we?" Surprisingly, he laughed.

"If you don't want to, it's fine. I've probably done enough already." I wondered how my lip wasn't bleeding already; I put even more pressure on it than healthy. Jacob ran a hand through his short, black hair.

"I wasn't lying when I told you Bella and I were family friends, we were, and that's all we are now, barley even friends. But after Bella moved back to Forks, basically I fell in love with her."

"Basically?" A tinge of remorse hit me instantly.

"I fell in love with her. But she started dating Edward Cullen even I convinced her not too. But she did anyways. And after Edward left her earlier in the year, she came running back to me. We had a few good months together, not as a couple but as friends. But when he came back, she went right back to him. And she new the Cullens and I have our problems, old territory laws and what not, but she doesn't care. I don't even know why I loved her. Now that I think about it, I guess I was just looking back on the good times we had together. Yeah, she's pretty but I don't forgive her for what she's done to me. I know I'm supposed to be all tough guy here, but I don't usually talk about this. But when you saw Bella over the house the other day, I was just in a bad mood because of her. She acts like everything's fine between us even though she knows it's not." He shook his head, dropping the wrench with a _clank_. I felt bad for Jacob, I really did. In disappointment, I shook my head.

"What a stupid girl, passing up someone as great as you. You shouldn't feel bad about it. The hardest thing to do is watch someone you love, love someone else, but you're too good for her.

"I'm not going to any more, I've found better people to move on to." Jacobs nod was assuring. Jacob had found someone else, lucky him. Why did I feel so bad about him liking someone else? The muscles peaking out of his shirt made me smile inside. This wasn't possible, I wasn't falling for him.

"Well whoever she is, she's lucky. Just be happy it's not Bella, she seemed a little dull to me." I quietly laughed, smiling at Jacob and turning my attention back to the screwdriver I was toying with.

"Well…" Jacob started but before I knew it, in the corner of my eye, I watched Embry jump out from hiding behind the left outside wall of the garage with a hose in his hands. And the hose was on full blast, spraying Jacob and I. I dropped the screwdriver to the ground, feeling the water soaking every part of me. Embry was laughing hysterically, like this was some kind of hilarious joke. It would be if my secret wasn't on the line.

"You idiot!" I screamed, scurrying up. I ran into the house searching for a room to change into. _Six…Five…Four_… the seconds counted down. I ended up in a small bedroom with dark blue walls and distressed wood floors. I slammed the door, turning the lock and fell to the floor with my tail.

"Dude, are you serious? You're so stupid!" Jacob yelled at Embry.

"Sorry! I didn't know she was going to freak. It's just water." Embry defended. Yeah, it was just water to a normal person. But to me, it was like the devil. In the room I was in, the blinds on the windows were shut tight. The bed had a white comforter on it. The bedside table had a white lamp and a picture frame, with a picture of Jacob, my brother, and the other boys. This had to be Jacobs's room. A bunch of footsteps came running to the locked door.

"Ariana? Are you okay?" Jacob pounded at the door.

"Sorry for spraying you." Embry apologized.

"Whatever Embry. And I'm fine, Jacob." I balled my fist over my fish body and began steam drying myself.

"Are you sure? I heard a thump."

"Uh yeah, I tripped over something."

"You okay? Unlock the door." He demanded, trying to fiddle with the door knob.

"No, don't open it." I yelled.

"Come on Ari, let us in!" Jacob demanded, jiggling the door knob and knocking his body against it. I took my fist away from my body and faced it at the doorknob. I heated up the doorknob and I heard Jacob yelp. I made a 'cut' motion with my hand and stopped the heating, and started drying my body again.

"Ari open the damn door." He growled.

"Uh, I can't. I'm only in my bra and underwear, my stuffs soaked." I lied; my cheeks going red from complete embarrassment. I would never live this down. _Come on Ari, it's not like no one doesn't wear a bra and underwear, it's totally normal to tell a guy that,_ I repeated to myself to feel less embarrassed. Why wasn't I drying off fast enough! There was a short pause between everyone.

"You sure you wont open the door?" Embry broke the silence.

"Embry!" I yelled, shocked.

"Oh come on." He laughed.

"Screw you." I hissed, and finally I changed back. Then I noticed, if I walked out with dry clothes, they would figure out something was up.

"Jake, do you mind if I borrow a shirt?" I quickly thought of.

"Sure, top drawer." I got up from the floor, and walked to the dresser. I searched through his shirts, picking out a simple black t-shirt. I threw off my shirt and shorts, pulling Jacob's shirt over my head and onto my body. The sent of his shirt filled my nose; it smelled like him mixed with some sort of Abercrombie and Fitch cologne. His shirt was like wearing a dress. It seemed ten sizes to big. The shirt, which would stop at the torso on Jacob, stopped at my thigh. The sleeves stopped an inch above my elbow. Rolling my clothes up into a ball, I tucked them between my arm and my side. I unlocked the door and saw both boys staring at me.

"Happy? It's unlocked." I huffed. As awkward as it was for me standing there in a really big shirt, I walked past the boys and out to the garage. I kneeled down, not bending over so my whole butt stuck out, and threw my clothes into my bag. When I walked back into the house, Jacob had his hand out, a pair of blue jean shorts hanging from his finger.

"They're an old pair of Rachel's, you can borrow them." He handed me them. They were light wash with holes in them. They were frayed at the end.

"Thanks." I took them, went in the bathroom for a few seconds and slid them on. They were a little snug, but they would do. I walked out and once again, Embry was standing next to Jacob, but now he was chewing on a piece of muffin.

"I probably should get going. Thanks for picking me up today, and for the clothes. I promise I'll give them back tomorrow."

"No rush, and you're welcome. I'll be at your house tomorrow, so see you soon." We began walking outside.

"When are you never at my house. See you tomorrow."

"What's with you and water?" Embry asked, I froze in my place.

"Goodbye, Embry." I smirked, walking down the driveway.

"Oh," I paused and turned around, "do that again, and I'll punch you in the face." I winked.

"Someone's touchy today." He frowned. I giggled.

"Bye guys. And Jacob, remember what we were talking about." I ran down the drive way and back to the house. My heart was still racing from the adrenaline of the situation that just happened. Jacob and Embry were getting extremely close to figuring out my secret. Dangerously close.


	8. Not The Only One

A/N: Next chapter so worth it! If I get 3 reviews or more I'll update tomorrow. Thank you for all your amazing reviews people! I love you all!

_**Chapter Eight:**_

_**Not The Only One**_

_**Chapter Song: Rolling In The Deep by Adele**_

Four days later, nothing really changed. Jacob had back his shirt and his sister's shorts, and they didn't think anything of the situation. I was the one who really kept overlooking what they thought of it. I have never been so careful around the guys before. When Sam and the boys went outside while it was raining, I locked myself up in my room. If Emily asked me to do the dishes one night, I'd make up an excuse how I was swamped with homework. Thankfully, she understood. Today, like any other day in Forks, was gloomy and overcast. The usual. I didn't have a ride back from school today, so I texted Sam that I would just walk home. But I didn't feel like it. So to make myself a little happier, I went for a quick swim. Quick meaning forty-five minutes to an hour. Tired of my walking, I trudged through the cool sand on the beach and walked up a small hill to take the short cut home, the forest. While stepping over branches, and walking my way through piles of crunchy leaves and overgrown grass, I felt as if I was being watched. I felt like there was eyes glued to my back, so I swung around to find nothing but trees and other stuff you see in forests. So I continued walking. Not even five minutes later did a certain sound of footsteps behind me catch my hearing. But when I turned around again, there was nothing there. Continuing to walk faster and faster, I eventually broke out into a run. I was probably going to be eaten by an animal, or killed by some serial killer. Now I understood why no one goes in the woods. I would probably end up on the eleven o'clock news. When I turned my head back around from looking behind me, I stopped in my tracks. A woman with fiery red curls was leaning against a tree. She was wearing a pair of tight jeans, a black tank top that showed a small amount of her flat stomach, and a dark denim jacket. Her skin was as pale as Alice Cullen, possibly paler. Her eyes were a mix of red and amber, but that wasn't possible?

"Hello." She crookedly smiled, scratching her sharp fingernails on the bark of the tree. It left a mark. Okay, that was not normal. She wasn't normal. She took a deep breath in her nose and she mad a face like Rikki made when we used to walk into the ice cream store and smell freshly baked waffle cones. She licked her lips.

"You smell delicious." She bit her lip. For some strange reason, I couldn't speak. I was a little to scared to.

"Let me correct myself, your blood smells delicious. It's different than anyone else's. Even better than that stupid girl with the Cullens." Her eyes turned a dark red. My blood? How did she know how my blood smelt? How did she know I was different? When I blinked, before I knew it she was right in front of me. Was she talking about Bella? How'd she know the Cullens?

"How are the dogs doing? I'm sure they wouldn't like it if they found out their enemies killed you." She smirked, showing off her perfectly white teeth. Then I saw them, two fangs that perfectly stood out. She was a vampire. But that couldn't be possible! Vampires didn't exist! I meant there were mermaids, sure, but vampires? All those shows were true?

"Get away." I managed to get out of my throat, I sounded fairly strong. She laughed like it was a joke.

"Dying doesn't hurt that much," she cooed as she got closer about to touch my neck, "oh wait, yes it does." She chuckled. She opened her mouth wide, lunging at my neck, and as a reaction, I swiped my hand out, causing a big wind to pick her up and throw her a few yards away. The wind power, Aerokinese, was new. Cleo had it also. I had it along with my Prokinesis and Electrokinesis power, which Rikki also had. We got it on the night of a full moon a couple of months ago. No one, not even Lewis, was sure why I got two powers while everyone else got one, but that was a story for a different time. Coming back to reality, the red headed vampire stood up in a second, dumbfounded and confused.

"What the…" She sneered at me. She was about to charge back at me until I raised my hand up to the sky and quickly dragged it down facing her, a large lightning bolt his right in front of her and she was thrown again. I took that as a gift for more time to get away, so I ran for my life, literally. I kept running until I tripped over a branch and scurried myself up only to see the Cullen family right in front of me. And for once, Bella wasn't at Edward's side. It was silent for a few moments, only the sounds of my out of breath breathing filled the air. They all looked at me like I was nuts.

"Where did you come from?" I put a hand over my heart to calm it.

"We were walking through the woods." Edward answered.

"Then explain why you weren't here literally two point five seconds ago."

"Fine, explain how you just escaped her." He crossed his arms.

"I have my ways" I also crossed my arms, "how'd you see that?"

"We just saw her." Rosalie barked.

"I'll pretend like I just didn't see that if you do the same."

"Fine." Emmett, Alice, and Edward agreed. Jasper nodded his head. Rosalie said nothing until Emmett bumped her with his elbow.

"Fine." She hissed.

"Who is she?" I wondered, figuring they knew her because obviously she knew them. Before they could answer, I saw the red head come out from behind the tree but the Cullen's reacted fast, attacking her back. Emmett threw her against a tree. How did he just do that? Then she disappeared.

"Run!" Emmett bellowed. So I did. Once again, I was running for my life. I watched the ground making sure I wouldn't fall. I kept turning my head back to make sure she wasn't following me. I kept running and running until in the distance, I spotted a house. Though I thought it would be Sam's house, it was Jacobs. I ran across the vast area of grass was and ran onto his porch. I banged my fist on the door hard and started screaming.

"Help! Jake, open the door!" I cried and never once stopped pounding the door. Not even when he opened it, I stumbled in and onto the floor crying, something we mermaids actually could do involving water. I backed up against the couch and looked up at a scared Jacob. He slammed the door shut. Hopefully the myth about vampire being invited into your home was true, because I wasn't even safe right now.

"Hey, what's wrong." He bent down to my level holding my forearms. His hands were hot. He took one hand lifted my chin up so I faced him, he took it away and rubbed my arm. I had to breath a few times before I could speak. Words wouldn't come out as hard as I tried. It was like there was something blocking me from being able to speak. This only happened one other time—when I accidentally found out I was a mermaid.

"Vampire." I breathed, Jacobs facial expressions tensed.

After calming myself down when Jacob pulled me into his arms, he went into the kitchen and I saw myself down on the brown sofa. I quietly sat there Indian style with my hands laced together. I propped my elbows up on my legs and rested my chin on my knuckles. Processing thoughts through my mind wasn't possible. Again, this exact feeling happened when I found out when I was a mermaid.

_It was another bright and sunny Saturday morning outside here in Australia. I woke up with the sun shining in my face, the birds were chirping, and everything was happy. Everything except me. I wasn't a morning person at all, so being up at nine was killing me. For some reason, I couldn't sleep well. I felt uncomfortable last night. Maybe it was from the crisis I was involved with last night. My best friends, Cleo and Emma and my new acquaintance Rikki had gotten stuck on Mako Island, an uninhabited creepy island many miles off the shore of Queensland. We had borrowed, okay we stole, a boat from the town's richest kid and jetted out to sea until we ran out of gas. Then we paddled there and somehow we ended up falling down a hole into this cave. Turns out, amongst the rocks and sand in there, there was this amazing little pool. Since Emma was the professional swimmer in the group, she dove into the water and found out that there was an outlet to the ocean, only a twenty second dive out. Cleo refused to go since she couldn't swim, but we eventually forced her. It got weirder from there, when we all got into the pool, it started to bubble like a Jacuzzi and these weird golden bubbles flew up to the top of the dormant volcano it was in. There was a full moon over the pool and fit perfectly over the hole of the volcano. We were all extremely freaked out, but once we swam out of the cave, the water police found us and took us back to shore. We all got home around one in the morning, and our parents were furious, but understood after we told our stories. But as I said before, sleep was avoidable last night. Kicking off the covers of my bed, I walked over to my blinking phone and saw I had a new text message from Emma. It read 'S.O.S', that was our codeword for emergency, meet up. Knowing it wouldn't help if my breath smelled or if I looked bad, so I went straight to the bathroom with a change of clothes and towels. Locking the door behind me, I stuffed my clothes in between the towel bar and the wall and walked to the shower until my foot began to cramp up. I sat on the wall of the bathtub, stretching out my foot until by mistakenly I lost my balance and fell back into the bath, hitting the faucet with my arm, turning on the showerhead. Immediately I felt warm water hit my head and spill down my face. My legs began to tingle and felt weird. I turned my attention towards them, ignoring the shower house spraying in my face. My heart stopped. They weren't legs any more; it was a golden orange colored scaly fish tail with fins! I looked up to my top, which was a halter-top filled with the same colored scales. Okay where were the hidden cameras, who was playing this joke on me? Noticing that I had been sitting here for half a minute with my head being drenched with water, I shut the faucet off and stood still staring at the tail thing. Maybe I was dreaming. Words wouldn't come out of my mouth; I didn't know what to say. Now I know what Emma's S.O.S was, or was it? Was I like the other girls who got turned into fish, or was it just a coincidence that Emma texted me it was an emergency. Maybe this would just go away and disappear like it never happened. And seventeen minutes later, it did. The tail, which was slumped over the bathtub's walls, had turned into my legs that once again sported my plaid pajama shorts. Immediately, I picked myself out of the tub and changed into my clothes. I was to terrified to brush my teeth, so I later popped in two pieces of gum. An hour later I was sitting on Emma's bed with Rikki and Emma by my side. We were waiting for Cleo, who had called Emma completely freaked out. We later discussed on what we were going to do, because truthfully, we were all scared to admit we had somehow been turned into mermaids._

Jacob walked back into the room, taking me out of my flashback. He sat down on the wooden coffee table across from me and ran a hand through his short hair.

"I know you probably don't believe me, I mean if I were you I wouldn't." To make it a little less awkward, I added a small laugh, but it was a sad laugh.

"No, I do believe you. What exactly happened?" He believed me about vampires? No one believed Zane about his whole mermaid fix. Maybe if Jacob believed in vampires he would sort of go down the road and end up at mermaids.

"I was taking a short cut home and I felt like I was being watched so I started running. But when I turned back around there was this red head woman was just standing there and then she said um, certain words and by some _miracle_ I escaped and ran into the Cullen's and I'm guessing they knew her and they told me to run because she came back and here we are." I bit my lip.

"Was Bella with them?" Jacob cocked his head. He seemed alerted, but not for me, for Bella. For stupid Bella Swan. I felt shocked and betrayed. The first response to my vampire attack was if Bella was around or not. Silently, I laughed to myself thinking how stupid I was. Jacob and I never had something; all that filled his mind was Bella, all the time. Mike Newton was right…for the first time in his life.

"I just got attacked by some mythical creature vampire and you asked if Bella was with them." I blankly said, possibly deceiving my ears.

"No, that's not what I meant."

"Well it sure sounds like it. Not to sure why Bella's involved with all of this but whatever. As much as I don't want to ask this but can you drive me home? I'd rather not get attacked…again." I stood up from the couch and grabbed my backpack from the door and waited for Jacob who sat there without a word. Thank god his dad wasn't home, he would have thought I was senseless for talking about being attacked by a vampire.

"If you don't want to I'll just call Embry, or walk."

"Of course I'll take you home, calm down, no need to call Embry." Jacob looked nervous.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you not to tell a girl to calm down?" I hissed. Without another word, we walked to Jacob's car and he drove me back to Sam's, which thankfully wasn't a long ride at all. He lightly pressed on the brakes in front of my house and I unbuckled my seat belt.

"Wait, Ariana." He said when I opened the door. I slung my bag over my shoulder.

"Not in the mood, Jake." I slammed the door to his car and stormed myself up the driveway. I clenched my fists from anger, and before I knew it I heard a cracks of thunder and lightning and the wind picked up a little bit. My anger was getting the best of me, and I was creating a storm. I marched myself inside, shutting the door behind me and was greeted to a full house.

"Ariana?" Emily called from the kitchen. I smelled dinner cooking.

"Yeah it's me." I took a few breaths to calm myself down.

"Oh good, you're home. Dinner will be ready in fifteen."


	9. Turn Around And Make It Alright

A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys :] Here's chapter nine! I hope you all like it. It takes off where last chapter ended. 3 reviews and I'll upload another one tomorrow! Or maybe even later today :]

_**Chapter Nine**_

_**Turn Around And Make It Alright**_

_**Chapter Song: Back To December by Taylor Swift**_

Tonight, dinner was awkward, if that was the right word. Sam had suspected something was wrong, and he asked me a few times if I was alright. I replied that I was perfectly fine, even though inside I was enraged with anger but more deeply depressed. The dinner table had been quiet this evening; I had twirled my spaghetti around my fork until I spotted Emily in the corner of my eye staring at me. I unraveled it off the fork to a normal size and ate it. But after a few more minutes of the uncomfortable silence between everyone, I excused myself and went up to my room to sulk. Sam and Emily had gone to bed hours ago, and they hadn't heard me all night. I stayed up late talking to the girls, while I munched on a bag of chips, which my mind somehow convinced me that it would cure my misery. It didn't, but I continued eating anyways.

"What time is it there?" Cleo asked over the phone. I looked at the bag of potato chips, staring it down. It was like it was screaming for me to eat more, but I know if I did it would be for nothing and I would just gain weight from it. Stupid girl problems.

"It's almost one." I yawned as if it was perfect timing.

"Try to get some sleep. You've had a long day." Emma sweetly said.

"I'll try. Talk to you later guys."

"Don't let some guy ruin your day, he's a major jerk." Rikki added before we ended our conversation.

"You're right. I'm over it now, don't worry." I reassured them. We said our goodbyes and I hung up the phone. Earlier in the two hour-long conversation, I told them about what happened, and thankfully they believed me. Like me, they figured if there were such things as mermaids, there could be other things like vampires. Rikki added in about there being witches, ghosts, and werewolves, but I just laughed at her. Getting myself off the bed, I grabbed the almost empty bag of chips and a pair of pajamas and walked out of my room. I threw my pajamas on the counter while I quickly walked downstairs to put the chips back in the cabinet. Walking back into the bathroom, I changed myself into a black tank top and pair of blue and black plaid pajama shorts. I threw my dirty clothes into the hamper and walked back into my room. Next to the door, there was a light switch that controlled the overhead lights in the room, I switched it off so only the lamp was giving off light now. I sashayed over to the window, which I had opened earlier since the room felt stuffy. Once my task was finished, I turned around only for a hand to be clasped over my mouth. I gasped to see Jacob in front of me. My lips were touching his palm and he looked at me with a tense expression. For a moment, I felt as if he was going to kill me. But what the hell was he doing in my room at one in the morning?

"Cute PJ's." He scoffed, his tense expression calming.

"What are you doing?" My terrified words came out in mumbles. He put a finger from his free hand over his lips, alerting me to be quiet and not scream or anything drastic. His hand fell to his side.

"What are you doing?" I repeated, using audible words.

"We need to talk."

"And you couldn't wait till morning? It's nearly one." I walked over to my bed and sat myself on it.

"No." He simply said.

"If it's about earlier, I really don't want to hear it."

"Well you're going to whether you want to or not." Well, someone was feisty today.

"Jacob, just don't do this, okay? You're wasting your time." I openly admitted, he sat down right next to me on my bed.

"No I'm not, you don't understand. Please just give me five minutes." He pleaded, squeezing my hand. I paused for several seconds, leaving an awkward space of silence between us so I could think about his offer.

"Fine. Five minutes. But be quiet or else Sam and Emily are going to wake up. Clock starts now."

"If you ha let me finished earlier, I would have explained why I asked if Bella was there or not."

"And we're back to Bella." I sighed, pursing my lips, which tasted like vanilla chapstick I had put on right before I walked out of the bathroom.

"No we're not," He paused with a loud sigh, "I'm not."

"Then what's going on?" My eyebrows lifted in confusion and wonder about how this conversation was turning. Even sitting, Jacob was way taller than me, so my eyes drifted upwards, looking him in the eyes.

"For some reason Bella has been involved with those stupid vampires. No one—I mean I don't know why but it's dangerous if she was around a vampire, so as she was once my friend, I asked you if she was there."

"Are the Cullen's vampires?" I asked, thinking about how oddly close in looks and relationship they were to the red headed vampire. Jacob stopped to think.

"I don't know." He hesitated. Bella surely knew if they were vampires or not, so if they were, Jacob probably would have known, right? Maybe it was just a coincidence that they popped up at the same time. Emmett had to be benching 400 easily, so he could have thrown off the vampire, right?

"How do you even know any of this?" I wondered.

"I used to be close to her, she told me about this."

"What happened to you not liking her anymore? After everything she did to you." I shook my head.

"I don't. I was just concerned. Believe me, I've moved on from her."

"Jacob, you haven't." I disagreed. My heart hurt inside. I wanted to yell at it to stop hurting over some guy. Like Rikki in the prospective, I wasn't usually the one to get all upset over some guy that made me feel upset.

"Yes, I have."

"She was the first person you asked about."

"But you were the first person I thought about!" His voice rose, he had almost answered immediately. My once closed shut mouth was now open. My lips parted looking like I was about to say something, but I couldn't.

"And that's like all I think about." He admitted. I was stuck frozen in time for that second, and his words echoed through my head. I couldn't realize how long I sat still and silent for, it could have been a millisecond for all I knew. And it probably was. Before I knew it, Jacob was inches away from my face, I leaned in a little closer and so did he, and then we kissed. Truth be told, this was only my second time I was kissed. But the first time didn't really count. I mean, I was moonstruck and possessed and later that night kissed Zane. I have no recollection of that kiss what so ever, but I was positive kissing Jacob was ten thousand times better than kissing one of my best friends, Zane. It felt like forever until he pulled away, and when he did, my smile fell.

"I'm sorry." He apologized, but why? He thinks I didn't like it?

"Just shut up." I playfully smiled and put a hand on his cheek and our faces touched again. His face felt hot, temperature wise. It was like as if he had a fever, but then again his skin could have been just really warm, it was a little hot in here.


	10. Advice, Suspicions, and Secrets

A/N: Hi guys! Sorry I didn't update right away, I was pretty busy the past few days. But anyways, here's chapter ten. Since I felt like there was barely any Rikki in here, and she is my favorite character from H2o, I felt as if I should have put her in, so she's in here for a little bit. And also, keep in mind for the ending of this chapter that I kind of tweaked the Twilight Vampires and made them into more realistic ones that the TV shows based off of them. So they have to be invited into a home, not just barge their nosy little minds in. And I'm thinking about not having them sparkle, but that's up to you. So please in the review say if they should sparkle or not :] Anyways, the next chapter is going to be incredible (plot wise, hopefully writing wise too! LOL) so 3-4 reviews and I'll update it very, very soon. I'm actually really excited about it! Thanks for all your reviews guys, much appreciated! Now sorry for the really long authors not but enjoy! – Elena

_**Chapter Ten**_

_**Advice, Suspicions, and Secrets**_

_**Chapter Song: Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People**_

Chewing on a piece of my warm French toast the next day, I was greeted by a grumpy Sam, walking into the kitchen still in his pajamas. Emily excused herself, claiming she forgot a bag of groceries in the car, and then we sat in silence.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked my overly aggravated brother.

"Apparently I'm going to Tacoma this weekend with Em to visit her parents since they're having some anniversary party. She told me this morning." He buried his face in his hands.

"You're complaining about going away?"

"First of all, it's a four and a half hour drive. Second of all, I don't want to go to a party with a ton of old people."

"Oh come on Sam, it'll be fun."

"Eh..." He disagreed.

"No. You'll have fun. When are you leaving?"

"Saturday morning. We'll be back Monday night, so Embry or Paul or Jake or someone will have to drive you to school. You can survive three days here alone, right?"

"What am I, five?"

"Hey, I was just being a good brother. I can get you a baby sitter or something."

"Shut up." I said sing-songy, getting up to put sinks in the dishes.

"Look who's talking, you were Miss I-hate-the-world-and-every-one-in-it yesterday."

"It's called being a teenager, I'm sure you remember the days." I said, Emily walked into the room.

"I'm sure Sam told you about the trip to Tacoma this weekend." Emily assumed, putting down a 6 pack of Soda and a bag of groceries on the island. She walked over to the sink and washed her hands, subconsciously, I stepped away from the sink even though the water couldn't reach me from where I was.

"Yup. It sounds awesome. Hope you have an awesome time."

"Thanks. You'll be okay here by yourself, right?"

"Yes, perfectly fine."

"No wild parties or anything?" A smile came over her face.

"Hmm, can't promise you anything." I laughed, joking with her. She laughed.

"You're doing better than Sam did when he used to get left home alone."

"Dad used to kill me." He admitted.

"Well he had a right to! He told me about you coming home wasted once, he thought it was hilarious." I smirked.

"Yeah, grounded a month for that."

"Well if you excuse me, I have a phone call to make." I left the room, swinging myself up the stairs and to my phone on the nightstand. I dialed Rikki's number and waited for her to pick up. And on the fifth or six ring, she did.

"Hello?" She groggily answered.

"Hey."

"You better have a good reason for calling me at five in the morning or else I'll come to Forks just to kill you." I heard her kick the covers off and turn on her lamp.

"Oh god, I'm sorry. I forgot—"

"The time change?"

"Yeah. Sorry, go back to bed, I'll call you in a few hours." I apologized knowing Rikki would be pissed.

"Nah, it's good. What's up? Feel any better since last night?"

"Well, that's what I called about." I sheepishly started.

"What happened?" Rikki reluctantly asked.

"After I got off with you last night, I went to go get ready for bed—"

"And? What, did he call you whining that he's sorry?"

"Uh, no a little more personal and intimate than that." I bit my lip, not sure what to say, wasn't this stuff supposed to flow naturally to your friends?

"What do you mean personal and Intimate? Wasn't it midnight there? Ari. Explain. Now."

"Well, I walked back into my room to close my window and after I did, I turned around and someone covered my mouth and it was him."

"What the hell? How did he get in your room?"

"Through my window and he hid behind my door, but that's not the point."

"And I repeat, what the hell? Is he some kind of murderer?"

"I know it was creepy, believe me I was freaked over it."

"I would be if I were you. But moving along, what happened?"

"Well he began talking about stuff and then it turned into arguing—"

"Oh my god, did he hit you?"

"No, no he didn't hit me. We were arguing about that he still had feelings for Bella, the girl I told you about, and then he told me that he didn't care about her he cared about me and he thinks about me, uh all the time."

"Oh my god, did you hook up with him?" She asked, completely shocked.

"Mhm." I said through my pursed lips, afraid of Rikki's reaction after I complained so much about Jacob last night. After a few seconds of silence on the phone, I felt uncomfortable.

"Rikki please say something." I sighed.

"I don't know what to say! I'm like proud but shocked but confused! Is he back to being the guy you originally met? I thought you said last night he was a total jerk?"

"Well he was yesterday, but we talked it out and then yeah..."

"I'm assuming I'm the first one that knows about this?"

"Yeah I didn't tell the girls yet, I didn't know what they would say."

"So you called me?" She laughed.

"Well, you went through this with Zane."

"But the difference was that we hated him originally, you said you were friendly with Jack, right?"

"First of all, it's Jacob. But since it's five A.M there I wont kill you for that. And I guess your right, but it's not my friends here and you guys back home I'm worried about as much, it's my brother. I mean it's his best friend."

"_Ooh_ that's awkward." I could picture Rikki biting her lip giving me the we-did-something-someone's-going-to-be-pissed-at face.

"Yeah, you think? What am I supposed to tell him?"

"It's simple. Don't tell him anything."

"How am I not supposed to tell him anything, Rikki? I live in the same house as him, I'm already hiding the you know what secret, and Jacob comes to the house on a daily basis, in fact I'm not even sure if he leaves."

"If your brother sees you holding hands with him or something he wont freak out. It's not like those girlfriend off limits kind of things, he'll be cool with it."

"And you're so sure of this because?"

"Because I'm Rikki." She laughed.

"How'd I know you were going to say that?" I laughed but then it turned into a sigh, "two secrets to juggle, kill me now?"

"Hey, one of those secrets isn't for long. Oh, and speaking of secrets, the full moons coming up in a few days, just a little reminder."

"Oh god, I forgot about it. When exactly is it?"

"Monday night."

"Ugh. My brother gets home Monday night. What if he opens my door or something?"

"Call him and say you're going to bed early."

"You think he'll believe that?"

"You better be a good fake sleeper and keep your eyes shut all night."

"Will do. Listen, I'm going over to Jake's now, I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Preferably not in the middle of the night." Rikki rang.

"I'm still sorry." I laughed and hung up. I sat still for a second, looking at the phone cradled in my hands. Sam was obviously going to be either confused or pissed. Or both. Reluctantly, after throwing on my jacket I walked down the stairs thinking about how I was going to ask one of them for a ride to Jacob's. They wouldn't think that's weird…right? I walked into find Sam lying on the couch with his feet propped up on the armrest. Emily was holding the phone to her ear, listening to something on the other line. I walked over to Sam, lifted his legs up and pushed them off the couch.

"Hey." He complained.

"Hello to you too. Wanna do me a favor and drive me to Jacob's?"

"Can't you walk? Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait…did you just say Jacob?" Sam sat up and looked at me suspiciously.

"Yeah…is that a problem?" I hesitated, trying to act and keep my cool.

"Jacob as in Jacob Black."

"Do you know any other Jacob's?"

"My friend Jacob?"

"If it's a problem, I'll ask Em."

"What are you going to Jacob's for?"

"To go rob a bank, what do you think I'm going over there for?" I rolled my eyes.

"Since when have you been hanging out with Jake?"

"I don't know, a week after I came. I don't keep track of time."

"Uh, okay. Get in the car." Sam got off the couch, giving me a weird look. I just kept the wobbling smile on my face, nervous for his next reaction.

Sam stopped the car right in front of Jacob's driveway. During the short car ride there, we didn't once talk about Jacob. Half of it was filled with awkward silence saved by the radio. The other half was talking about school and stuff about my mom, since Sam has apparently came in contact with her at some point this morning. We also talked a little more about his trip which he stil was regretting to go on.

"I'll call you before to pick me up." I opened he car door, and took a glance up to the sky. As usual, it was overcast. But the clouds didn't look like they were filled with rain. Hopefully they weren't full with rain.

"Sure." Sam drummed on the steering wheel to the 'Pumped Up Kicks' statically playing out of his stereos. I shut the car door and walked, more like jogged my way up to the front of his house. Knocking on the door, I felt as if Sam's eyes were glued to my back. Why wouldn't he just drive away already? I could hear the music playing; the window was still rolled down. Then, what seemed like forever, the door opened up revealing Jacob with a smile on his face.

"Hey, I was just about to call you." He leaned in about to kiss me until I stopped him.

"Eh, eh, eh." I said through my lips before he did anything. I turned around to look at my brother and gave him a little wave. I smirked to him only to see him roll his eyes and shift gears to drive away. We walked into the house and I shut the door behind me.

"Now, let's try that again. Hello." I smiled, wrapping my arms around Jacob's neck and standing on my toes to reach his height.

"Well, hello to you too." He laughed, breaking the silence half a minute later.

"Sorry about my brother. He's confused." Sam had to have a feeling about Jacob being my boyfriend, couldn't he? Maybe I was just that good at hiding it like I am with all hiding all my secrets. It was a good possibility. We began walking through the small house and walked into Jacob's room.

"Did you tell him?" He asked. I sighed.

"No, I don't know what to say." I let out a big breath and ran a finger through my hair. I looked at Jacob who was leaning himself against the doorway. "I mean, he's going away this weekend so at least I don't have to deal with him then."

"He's going away?"

"Yeah, he's leaving on Saturday and is coming back Monday night. Oh and that reminds me, take me to school Monday?"

"Of course." Jacob walked back over to the bed and sat himself down next to me. "Now why are you worried about this whole Sam thing?" he added, brushing his hand over mine. My hand was so small compared to his. Suddenly, I felt as if I had baby hands. But Jacob was all muscular and buff like Sam and the others, so it occurred to me I was just normal sized.

"I don't know, I feel like he's going to be pissed at me."

"Why would he be pissed at you?"

"Because I know if Sam was dating one of my friends back home I would be more confused then angry but it's Sam we're talking about. It's weird I feel like he's my dad sometimes, he watches me like crazy."

"Well, he's just concerned about you. And concerning us, don't worry about it." He shrugged, putting a large hand on my cheek and kissed me.

Hours later, I sat in Jacob's kitchen munching on some chips with him across from me. It was raining outside, and I tried to act calm, but inside I was freaking. Jacob didn't suspect anything. We'd been talking nonstop and not once did he ask me about if I was okay or not. So obviously my fake calm attitude was working. While listening to Jacob talk, I popped up my chin with the heel of my palm. In the corner of my eye, something caught my attention outside the large bay window. It wasn't the rain that grabbed my attention, it had a while ago, but it was the blurs of movement I saw. And with those movements, I saw streaks of fiery red hair. I sat up straighter and turned my head officially looking at the window. My arm, which had been supporting my head before, fell down to the table.

"Jake…" I interrupted him from talking. He looked at me and stopped talking, but I didn't bother looking at him. "She's back." I gulped, feeling as if I had a hard lump in my throat. What was I going to do? There was no way out since it was raining, Jacob couldn't figure out my secret, and I wasn't going to let Jacob die because of some vampire. And why was this vampire coming back for me? Was she stalking my every move?

"Where is she?"

"She kept running back and forth along here."

"Stay here." He got up from his seat and so did I.

"No, no, no. You're not going out there."

"Yes I am."

"No you're not. Please, for me." I pleaded, nervous of Jacob's response.

"Fine. But you're safe in here, you can't go out yet."

"Believe me, I wasn't planning on it." I looked out the window to the rain coming down in sheets.


	11. Secrets Are Made To Be Found Out

A/N: Well, chapter 11 is here! I've been so excited to write this chapter it's ridiculous. Enjoy and please review! I'm almost done writing the next chapter so if I get 3-4 or more reviews, I will update! I hope you all enjoy this :]

_**Chapter Eleven**_

_**Secrets Are Made To Be Found Out**_

_**Chapter Song: Secrets by OneRepublic**_

The week came and passed, and everything was alright and suspiciously calm. During last week's vampire sighting at Jacob's house, he excused himself to make a call. But from what I heard, it was an angry call, and I couldn't tell to whom it was for. The rain stopped two hours and twenty-three minutes later, I counted. And I was free to leave after that. Thankfully Jacob drove me home. Besides the rain and the vampire, the day all together was pretty good. I had spent it with Jacob, we cuddled and watched a movie eating popcorn. Corny and way to sappy for me, but I loved it. As for the red headed vampire that's still after me, I was on high alert with her. I was extra careful and jump and my nerves were on high edge. Every corner I turned I felt like her blood red eyes were staring at me.

Bringing myself back to present day, I sat on the island in the kitchen swinging my legs back and forth with my hands lying gently in my lap. The kitchen was swarming with conversations by Quil, Embry, Paul, Jared, and Jacob, who was standing next to me leaning against the island. It was a grey and cloudy Saturday morning with very little sun peaking through the thick clouds. Sam was busy running up and down the stairs, easily picking up the suitcases in his room and bringing them down to the car. Emily, who was in a chipper mood, was sitting at the glass kitchen table digging through her purse. Next to her bag was a neatly wrapped gift for her parents. It had a big bow on the top of it that sparkled from the light her. Finally, she pulled out a small, rectangular plastic card and walked over to me.

"For food and whatever you need while we're gone." She smiled, handing over the credit card.

"Emily, you're gone for three days. I'll be perfectly fine with the food here; you've got enough to feed an army. And even if we're out, I've got some money in my wallet."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"I'm leaving it here anyways. It'll be on the counter." She insisted. I gave her a small laugh and shook my head at her kindness. Emily took a glance at the watch on her tan wrist and bit her lip.

"Sam, mind leaving before Monday hits?" I called to wherever he was.

"Shut up, Ari." He laughed, but he meant it.

"He's not in a good mood, is he?" I asked Emily, who just came back from placing the card on the counter. She carefully held the present in her hands. Loud and angry footsteps came stomping into the kitchen.

"I'm ready." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Finally." Emily sighed, picking up her purse on the counter and slinging it over her.

"Bye sweetie." She hugged me with one arm and walked out to the front door.

"No burning down the house, no parties, no alcohol, no strangers, no—" Sam began the boring list. As if I was going to do any of that.

"Sam, leave." I ordered my brother.

"And you guys," he said a little louder, pointing to all five boys. They all became quiet, "no being stupid. Don't take your…work break so seriously." He scolded and left the room. The front door slammed shut, alerting us that Sam and Emily had officially began their trip. Sam's words repeated in my mind. Work? Since then did they all have work? Not once had Jacob mentioned one thing about working. Still, the room was kept silent. I felt like I was back in Kindergarten and it was one of those days when the teach left the room and you didn't know whether to be quiet or not. But there was always that one kid who broke the silence.

"Yeah, Sam's gone!" Quil cheered. He was that kid. Then like back in the days of kindergarten, everyone else began talking.

"So, what do you want to do?" Jared asked the crowd.

"How about cliff diving?" Quil suggested. Did he just say cliff diving? As in cliff diving, diving off a cliff into water? A chorus of sures and yes' came from the boys.

"Cliff driving? You're joking, right?" I chimed in, being the voice of reason in the group.

"Nah, we do it all the time!" Embry waved it off.

"Are you all looking for a death wish?"

"You got to go try it, I bet you would love it." Jared said.

"I'll pass. I'm not to fond on heights and freezing water."

"So was I, but I got over it." Paul rolled his eyes.

"Still and always will be a no." I pursed my lips, pushing a piece of brown hair behind my ear.

"Oh you can do it, Ariana!" Quil encouraged.

"Guys she doesn't want to do it, she doesn't have to. Watch us then. Come on, it's better than staying here." Jacob suggested, putting his warm hand on mine. I could see the boys look at us weird.

"Fine." I finally agreed after thinking about it for a few seconds. I hopped off the island and gracefully landed on my feet, following the boys out the front door.

One hundred feet below, the waters slapped against the rock side of the cliff. The grey waters spit in all different directions and then smacked against each other once again. The ocean was a dark grey color mixed with a navy blue, it's white caps danced and followed the rhythm of the waves. How the boys enjoyed jumping into the dark eerie waters was something I'd never understand.

"Your all insane." I commented, standing near the edge looking over it. To get to this certain cliff they loved, we had to walk on the beach a ways then walk through the forest, then we arrived. I turned around to see them all taking off their shirts and unbuckling their belts.

"Oh my God." I turned to my side, covering the side of my face with my hand so I couldn't see them, "you're not going to get naked, are you?"

"We jump in our shorts." Embry answered for the group. Facing them and taking my hand away, I almost had a heart attack from seeing their bodies. They were fit and had the most amazing bodies I've ever seen, even better than the surfers back in Australia. To my benefit, Jacob's bodies was the best. Holding back a smile was one of the hardest things I've ever done in front of the guys, except hiding my secret of course. The girls would have been freaking over the sight of this, especially Rikki. The boys threw their shirts onto the ground and kicked off their shoes. I walked over to a shirtless Jacob.

"Don't kill yourself, please." I tried to laugh to cover up my fear for his safety. Jacob wrapped his hands around mind and gave me a smile.

"I promise you I wont." He assured, I stood up on my toes and gave him a kiss. A loud and obnoxious coughing noise made me pull away from Jacob. I looked over his shoulder to see Quil with an open water bottle in his hands and water dripping out of his mouth. He had done a spit take and now was apparently choking on water.

"When did that happen?" he asked, pointing from Jacob to me. He looked so confused; I just rolled my eyes to him.

"Go jump off a cliff, Quil." I rang, taking a seat of a large wood log that one of the boys shirts landed on.

Surprisingly, watching the guys jump off the cliff was fun. They would simply just fall down a hundred feet, no big deal obviously, then two minutes later jog all the way back up here soaked in sea water. Whenever the times I found boring came up, I filled up with texting the girls, Lewis, and Zane. They were all glad to hear from me since I hadnt called them in a week for the girls, and almost a month for the guys. Being cautious, every few minutes I would look behind me to make sure no vampire would sneak up and take a chunk out of my neck and also take glances up to the sky, which was a dark shade of grey.

"Sure you don't want to try, Ariana?" Jacob asked, standing at the cliffs edge. I looked up from my phones screen.

"I'm good." I shook my head, with a partial smile. But that smile soon fell as I witnessed Embry push Jacob off. I gasped and my eyes widened to the size of golf balls.

"Embry!" I barked, shoving my phone into my pocket and running to the edge. Making sure not to stand to close to Embry, who was soaked, I watch Jacob hit the water with a huge splash. _Please be okay, please be okay,_ I said over and over in my head. All the pressure in the world was relieved when his head popped above the water. A wave washed over him and he laughed.

"We do it all the time, just a game. Want to go next?" he joked. I rolled my eyes again and walked away, but instead of sitting back down, I stretched my stiff legs and stood by the log. Minutes later, Jacob came jogging back up the cliff path with his shorts dripping on the ground.

"I'm gonna kill you Embry." He jokingly threatened with his best friend. Embry gave him a thumbs up and jumped off. After he came to shore, I could hear him talking on the pathway up to us, but no one listened. It seemed as for those few seconds no one wanted to jump off. Quil and Jacob were discussing something and Paul and Jared were standing by the side of the cliff, not planning on a jump since there was only sand and grass way below them. But in that same peaceful minute, all hell seemed to break loose when I felt a droplet on my skin. I looked up and felt my face get water on it. It was raining. The rain wasn't a simple drizzle like it usually starts out as, it was a complete downpour. It seeped through my shirt, shorts, shoes, hair, absolutely everywhere. And this was all in the matter of seconds. I gasped, and didn't notice that I said 'oh my God' out loud but it was so quiet, only the person closest to me could hear it. And that person was Jacob. I needed to get out of here. _Now_.

"Ari? What's wrong?" Jacob looked at me cautiously.

"Yeah! Now it gets better!" Quil shouted, ruffling up his hair. Frantically, I looked around and realized the only way out of here was to jump a hundred feet down. Nervously, I bit my lip then broke out into a run for the cliffs edge.

"Ariana!" Jacob yelled. I felt all the guys' eyes on me. Treating it as I would a regular dive off a dock back home, I put my hands above my head and kicked myself off without a second thought. And before I knew it, seconds later the waves and my body came in contact. My body stung as if I just did a belly flop, but the second I was immersed in the water, I felt myself change. Somehow, I didn't understand how I managed to do all of that in ten seconds flat. Was there a mermaid world records book for these types of things? Thanks to what Lewis called 'mermaid-vision' I could see perfectly in the dark waters. It was like I had goggles in my eyes, cool right? I watched the bubbles rise above me and I could see the rain hitting the surface of the ocean. I kept myself under, not daring to pop my head up for air so the boys can see me. How was I supposed to explain this one to them? Was I just supposed to say 'oh, I felt like jumping?'. How long was the rain going to last? They were going to get scared if I didn't come up for air. I forced myself to swim away towards the cliff so they couldn't see my tail in the water. But while swimming over, I could see I dark figure in the corner of my eye along with sensing someone behind me. I turned around and saw Jacob swimming towards me and stopping in his place completely shocked. I stopped swimming and turned my body towards him. There was a sad, pained, and worried expression on my face. While his face was filled with shock or fear, or both. My boyfriend knew my secret and he was going to hate me forever. How could I let this happen? The girls were going to kill me too. I mouthed Jacob an 'I'm sorry'. Bubbles came out of my mouth as I tried to speak. Then I decided sine he wasn't part fish, he couldn't breath long underwater, I lifted my hand up near my face and motioned for him to go up. Reluctantly, he nodded. My head broke the surface and rain pounded on my head. Jacob looked at me in silence, his lips parted as if he was going to say something. But he didn't.

"Please say something, Jake." My voice cracked. I felt a familiar stinging pain in my eyes I got before I cried, and my eyes welled up with water. He stayed in his shocked, silent, state. He hated me now and our relationship was gone. He shook his head in disbelief. My lips formed a line and my eyes closed, having tears spill out of my eyes. With every judging look he gave me, my heart dropped to my stomach.

"I'm sorry." I whispered loud enough for him to hear. Instead of treading water here in shame, I waved my arms in a circular motion, letting me help me get under water. My tail rose above the surface for a brief second before it quickly came down again, ashamed to be shown in front of Jacob. And before anyone else saw me, with one flick of my tail I jetted off to nowhere crying my eyes out underwater, if that was even possible.


	12. Enough Dirt To Bury Yourself Alive

Hi guys! So this chapter was so fun to write, so I hope you enjoy it! Took a little longer to write then expected but besides that, review please!

_**Chapter Twelve:**_

_**Enough Dirt To Bury Yourself Alive**_

_**Chapter Song: Jar Of Hearts by Christina Perri**_

The rain had lasted for five hours. So I spent those hours swimming in the middle of the dark and lonesome ocean of La Push beach. I didn't even mind, I didn't want to be seen by anyone. Jacob hated me for what I was, and I wasn't worth it. I was a mermaid who wasn't worthy of dating a normal human. We couldn't even have a normal life together, Forks wasn't the place for me to be. Standing in the kitchen back in the house, I felt scared and alone. When I got home two hours ago everything was silent. None of the boys were here, the house was empty, except for me. Figuring Jacob told them all, they hated me too and wanted to be as far from me as they could. Checking my phone multiple times was pointless. There was nothing from Jacob, only messages from the girls and Lewis. I couldn't even answer them I was so upset, I had left my phone upstairs under my pillows, to troubled to look at it. Originally I tried to cheer myself up by going out to get some Chinese, but I was to upset to walk to a restaurant. I was surprised I had even got myself dressed, it was a step up from being in sweats and an old ratty t-shirt eating Ben and Jerry's from the pint. It was a quiet night here, there wasn't any noise coming from anything. I stood in the kitchen leaning against the island staring at my reflection from the pitch-black window. Night had crept in quickly tonight, I felt as if the second I got home it was dark. I tried to convince myself to eat something, but I couldn't help but just staring at myself in the reflection feeling sorry for my life. My arms were crossed against my chest, and I looked at my black lace tiered tank top in the reflection; it was as dark as the outside night. My skinny jeans felt tight and uncomfortable and so did my flats. I couldn't blame my clothes for being uncomfortable; it was just my whole body that was uncomfortable. I was uncomfortable with myself and who I was. I thought I accepted it a long time ago, but apparently I didn't. It really showed now. It was like I could hear Rikki's voice ringing in my ears that it doesn't matter what someone thinks of you, you're special the way you are. Maybe it was my conscious telling me, I wasn't sure. The same thing happened to Julia Dove fifty years ago, and I was sure that this is how she felt when her boyfriend hated what she was. I continued my stare out the window until the wall of bushes against it stared to rustle as if someone was walking through them. The first thought that came to my head was that the vampire was here, and then there was a second thought was that it was the wind, but then I saw the shadow of a large human body. She—it was here for me. Freaking out about what to do, I ran to the sliding glass door and locked it, then I ran to the other one on the other side of the room and locked it. The back door across from the kitchen was still open, so I almost began to sprint to it but immediately stopped in my tracks. The light detector Sam had installed lit up and I saw a shadow of a person light up into the hallway. My heart was racing; I didn't want to die, not right now. I ran to the light controller in the room and slammed down on all the switches, turning everything off so it was pitch black. I got myself on the floor behind the island and wrapped my shaking hands around it's wooden post. The doorknob on the back door turned, making a sound and I freaked, trying to think of how to protect myself. I looked up and saw a butcher's knife in a light wood knife block on the counter. I scurried on my hands and knees and reached my hand up and grabbed it and then I went right back to my hiding spot. The vampire was here to kill me, but I was going to kill it first…maybe. Hopefully. As I heard the back door fully open, I held the knife out as a weapon to defend myself. The back door was shut. The vampire let itself in. I'm sure it could hear my heart beat, because it sounded like a drum in my ears. The footsteps came closer and the door closed, and the vampire walked in the room. The figure was to big to be the vampire girl who had attacked me a week ago, there was a large man standing a few feet away from me. But that was just as bad, he was probably a vampire too. I crouched there in silence, not even breathing until the man turned his head towards me. Unfortunately at that same second I peaked my head out the slightest bit to see what he was going, and he saw me. But it wasn't a vampire at all. It was Jacob. I opened my mouth to breath and I dropped the knife on the floor with a clank. Jacob then realized that there was a person bent over on the floor, and that person was me, he opened his arms for me. I got up and ran over to him and embraced him, starting to cry against his shirt.

"I had to see you." He said, burying his face in my hair. He wrapped his arms around me, securing me tightly in the dark room as I sobbed.

Leaning back on the chestnut brown leather couch, I sat with Indian style with a soft brown throw over my legs. Sipping Godiva hot chocolate from ceramic mugs that Jacob made, I sat in silence while Jacob looked at me. I cupped my hands around the warm mug, taking in it's warmth. I looked down to it, looking at the milky drink.

"I told them you had an adrenaline rush and felt like jumping and you went home." Jacob broke the silence. I picked my head up and looked at him. They didn't know?

"You didn't tell them?"

"No. I figured if you wanted to keep it from me, you wanted to keep it from them too."

"Thank you." My voice lowered.

"Care to talk about it?" he asked. I bit my lip, afraid. Was this how it was when Zane found out about Rikki?

"What do you want to know?"

"Whatever you want me to know." He answered.

"There's a lot to cover." I sighed.

"Well, start from the beginning. How?"

"Remember that bonding accident I told you about with my friends? My friend Rikki stole her now boyfriend's zodiac, we ran out of gas in the middle of nowhere and paddled to the nearest place, a deserted place of coast called Mako Island. It's surrounded by Mako Sharks and no one lives there, it's all animals and forests. While we went searching for cell phone service, my friend Cleo fell down a hole and when we all tried to get her, we ended up down there. There was a natural pool in there that led out to the ocean. My friend Emma, who was a competitive swimmer, swam out and found the exit but Cleo couldn't swim. So once we finally got her into the water the pool started bubbling and these gold bubbles rose up and we swam out. Next morning I touched water and ten seconds later I was um, a mermaid."

"And that's why you freaked when you got sprayed with the hose." He put the puzzle pieces together. I nodded.

"You're the only one that knows here, Sam and Emily and even my mom doesn't know."

"You don't have to worry about me telling anyone."

"I'm sorry from keeping it from you. I just—I had to. I never meant for you to find out."

"Why are you sorry? I get it." He assured. Then we fell into an awkward silence again. "What's it like? You know, to be a mermaid?"

"Most of the time it's fun. But then there's other times when it's harder. In the end of the day I always have to keep my secret so it gets hard. And it doesn't help that it rains all the time."

"How long have you been one?"

"Two years."

"Wow. It must get hard." He assumed. I loudly exhaled a breath that I had been holding in.

"I have enough dirt to bury myself alive." I shook my head.

"What do you mean?"

"I've done so many terrible things in two years that I had no control over." I ran a hand through my hair.

"Explain."

"For one all the lies, I can't stand keeping secrets from people that I love. That's bad enough. Then there's the full moon, which makes us do crazy things if we look at it. I've kissed my friend Zane, if burned people, and almost killed my friend Lewis."

"Isn't there a full moon coming up?" I nodded.

"Monday night."

"But Sam comes back that night."

"I'm telling him I'm going to bed early so he doesn't suspect anything. I have to board up my windows and doors." I explained, looking down to my hot chocolate.

"I'm going to heat this up, do you want yours too?" Jacob broke another set of silence.

"Don't bother." I put my mug down on the table and reached for Jacob's.

"What are…" He began. I clenched my fist over the cup and it began to seam, then I stopped it and handed it to him. Suspiciously he looked at it then took a sip.

"How did you do that?"

"I can heat up things, start fires, create lightning, and create wind. That's how I got away from the vampire. It comes with having the tail."

"Do your friends have it too?"

"Emma can freeze things and create snow, Cleo can control water and create wind, and Rikki has all my powers minus the wind."

"That's…wow."

"Sorry for burning your hand on the door knob while at your house that day. You were to close to coming in while I was drying myself off."

"What happens when you dry off?"

"I turn back to normal like nothing even happened."

"What about my shirt? Your clothes were dry."

"You both would have figured out something was wrong if I came out in dry clothes. I'm smarter than that.. But I lied to you, again."

"But you don't have to anymore." Jacob placed his mug on the table. Then the room was filled with silence again.

"I'm sorry for who I am Jake. I can't change it, there's no way I know how to."

"Why do you want to change yourself for what you are?"

"Because you don't like me this way." It burned to say the words, but they were true. Many thoughts of how I wasn't Bella because I wasn't fully human ran through my mind, how he probably loved her again.

"Why would you ever say that?"

"The way you looked at me." I finally got the courage to look up to him. I felt tears fill up my eyes but I was strong enough to hold them back.

"Not true." He disagreed with a shake of his head.

"Why didn't you say anything? You just stood there." I felt tears fill up my eyes but I was strong enough to hold them back. One slipped it's way out and stayed under my eye.

"I was just so surprised. But that doesn't mean that I hate you, you just caught me off guard. I love you the way you are, tail or no tail. But what happened today doesn't change anything."

"You seemed like you hated me."

"But I don't. That's all that matters. Come here." He said, I put my mug on the table and scooted over to Jacob, putting my head on his shoulder. He moved some pieces of hair out of my face and kissed me.

"I'm never going to be able to hate you."

"Good, because it's the same condition with me." I sniffled, wiped my tears away and smiled for the first time in hours. Later that night we fell asleep together on the couch.

The next morning, Jacob and I headed down to the beach. I woke up this morning to find him attempting to make pancakes, which was a funny sight. It was a warmer day than usual, around mid seventies. The sun was doing its best to peak out from the sheets of rainless clouds, but it struggled. As we sat on the beach's ground, sand sneaked its way into my white keds and irritated me. I hugged my arms around my knees and looked out at the grey, calm waters.

"Tell me about your little mermaid adventures back in Australia." Jacob changed the subject.

"I'm sure you don't want to hear about them." I smiled and shook my head.

"I asked, didn't I? I want to know more about you."

"Fine, but remember, you asked for it." I chuckled.

"Go right ahead."

"Oh God, I don't even know where to begin there's so much to tell."

"What's the biggest thing that happened to you?" He wondered, I thought about it for a second and then immediately knew what to answer.

"We got caught by a scientist and her group. She originally came here to work on sea levels and took in my friend Lewis as an intern and then it somehow spun out of control to mermaids. We didn't know and neither did Lewis, but she put in and underwater camera at the moon pool entrance and she got clear pictures of our faces and us swimming in and out. So one day we got a text for Lewis to come to the moon pool it was an emergency, but it was a trap. When we tried to get out the caged off the exit. It turns out Zane's really rich and rude dad sent the text off Lewis' phone and was working with Denman. They trapped Lewis in a boat cabin. Then it got worse when Zane walked in since he didn't know about Rikki yet. He helped us escape though, he got the door off the exit, but later that day we planned on running away, but instead we just all decided to give up are powers since there was some special full moon that night. And we did. Then Denman left and Zane got sent off to boarding school for helping us."

"But…how do you stil have it?"

"Lewis didn't tell us that it was only a 12 hour effect. Believe me, we were all just as surprised and kind of happy."

"How did Lewis find out?"

"Cleo was being stubborn and she went to this girl Miramis pool party dressed in a thousand coats and pants and Zane and his annoying friend threw her in the pool the second we got there. After they threw her in the pool they all went inside and Lewis was the only one that saw her. He was terrified."

"What about Zane? How'd he react?"

"He kind of knew about us before he actually did. I know it doesn't seem to make scene, but he was in a boat crash and my friend Emma saved him while he was passed out, but he saw her tail at one point and then went on this whole mermaid search at the time Rikki was his girlfriend. So when he found out it was us that were the mystery creature he was going after to thank, he was okay. But after he got back from boarding school, he thought we were normal and we all decided to hide it because of his dad. But he found out because Rikki got sprayed from a boat and jumped off a dock."

Jacob shook his head. "I can't believe that happened. Tell me more."

"Hmm. There's that time Rikki and I had to save Zane so he didn't get eaten by sharks, Cleo's sister almost found out about us with the help of Emma's brother, on exam day we couldn't go because it was raining so we faked a sickness which became serious, Rikki and I caught a criminal, Emma died her hair bright red by mistake so she looked like Ariel, it was pretty funny. Then there was that time we wanted to go to the schools formal but Lewis decided to make this thing so when we get wet, nothing happens. But we got this massive allergic reaction from it so we had to leave. Then a recent thing is with this girl Charlotte whose stealing Lewis from Cleo, she absolutely hates us and on top of it she's a recently changed mermaid with all our powers but together. She's our main issue right now. Sorry I kind of went on." I noticed my rambling was probably getting him bored.

"No, it's so interesting. It's insane all this stuff that's happen to you."

"It's been a handful." I nodded, pursing my lips.

"Show me your powers." Jacob wanted.

"Right now?"

"Yeah, I mean if you don't mind."

"No, of course not, come on." We walked over to the shoreline where a pool of water gathered in a small ditch some child probably created. I squeezed a fist over it, it boiled until it evaporated into the air. I put my hand up and swung it down like I was throwing a ball, with my palm out. On the horizon lightning struck. With a wave of my hand, a gust of wind came out of nowhere.

"I would set something on fire, but there's nothing here."

"No, it's okay I believe you." He smiled. Jacob turned me around and kissed me. But from the wind I created, it made the waves come up farther and the washed over my feet and ankles. I cursed under my breath. And at that same time, far away I saw the outlines of four guys, and even with them being so far away from us, I could hear their voices. Jacob looked down to me since he got wet too.

"I'd rather them not see me. Be right back?" I bit my lip, letting go of his hands and counting down the seconds in my head. I turned around and ran as fast as I could into the ocean, and when it was deep enough, I dove in. Swimming my way farther away from the shore, I eventually popped my head up.

"Hey! Jacob!" One of the four guys yelled. It was Quil, and the other three boys were Paul, Embry, and Jared. They were walking over to Jacob, who was still at the shoreline. I gasped, hoping they wouldn't see me, and ducked my head right under again. I swam over to one of the nearby rocks and hid myself behind it, peaking my head out just to see what was going on. One minute turned into five minutes, five minutes turned into ten minutes, and so on. They just didn't want to leave.

"Ugh hurry up." I said, but the boys heard. They all turned looked over Jacob's shoulder, behind them, and all around. I leaned my head back in

"Why don't we go in for a minute? The waves are normal today." Embry observed.

"No!" Jacob jumped. They all looked at him strangely, "Uh, I mean, I'm meeting Ariana here in a couple of minutes."

"So? She likes us. I'm sure she won't mind." Paul smirked. They all headed for the water and I ducked my head under and stayed on the side of that rock for a while so they couldn't see me. Once more today I thanked God that I could hold my breath up to twenty-thirty minutes that I knew of. Ten minutes later, I broke the surface and peaked my head to see what was going on. I didn't hear any voices, but then again they could be still there. But they weren't. Jacob wasn't even there. My brows furrowed and I gripped onto the rock harder. Before I knew it, I felt a tug on my tail. I gasped and whipped my head around to see Jacob's head breaking the surface. He ran a hand through his short hair, which was falling in front of his face.

"My God, you almost scared me to death. Where are they?"

"They left."

"Thank you." I whispered, taking my grip off the rock and now facing Jacob. "What did they want?" I asked.

"Just asking to hang out."

"You know I could have come up there right? You didn't have to come all the way out here."

"Well, I figured that you were going for a swim, so I thought I'd catch up to you." He said.

"Come on." I smiled, taking his hand and diving underwater.


	13. History Repeating

**Sorry this took so long guys! Well, here you go. This is just a little filler chapter (I'd hate to admit it, but yeah) And the next chapters gonna be really big :] Super excited for it. Xoxo. – Elena. **

_Chapter Thirteen:_

_History Repeating_

_Chapter Song:_

_Chances by Five for Fighting_

Have you ever known someone with nine lives? Like the daredevil who fell of his motorcycle bruising his entire body, but he somehow miraculously got up not even two minutes later like nothing was wrong. Well, that was Jacob for you.

**A Few Minutes Earlier:**

"Hey, um just calling you guys to say that I'm alive. Sorry that I haven't called you back since before the full moon, it's been _real_ busy here. Um, call me back soon because I've got to fill you in on what happened two weeks ago. Yeah, interesting story that you might not like. Anyways, I'm almost at Jake's house so I hope everything's good and I'll talk to you guys when you get out of school. Bye." I ended the one-way voicemail call to Cleo's phone. Sliding the phone back into my pocket, I continued to walk down the winding dirt road towards the Black house. As usual, it was overcast and grey outside; only occasionally the sun would peak through the clouds. The day was enjoyable, and it would get better when I was able to see Jacob. Minutes passed by and eventually I walked up the creaky porch of Jacobs house. Knocking on the door then opening it, I yelled for Jacob.

"Jake?" My voice echoed through the small house. Billy wasn't here, because if he was, he would be parked in front of the TV watching football, but he wasn't. Billy had gotten used to me being over the house, or vise versa with Jacob being over mine. Apparently, he really enjoyed having me over and to see Jacob happy again. The house was as silent as night. I didn't hear any showers or televisions or sinks. But I did hear the slight roar of an engine coming from the backyard. I walked over to the sliding glass door, and opened it, stepping outside onto the back porch. I saw Jacob riding around the large and grassy and dirt area of land he called his backyard. Sashaying myself out onto the porch, I leaned against the railings watching him quickly ride around, making sharp turns here and there kicking dirt up into the air with his tires.

Down a ways past the normal civilization of the town, on 84th Rivet road was an old Motocross track. It wasn't an accident how Rikki and I found this place, we knew that Zane and his friends drove their motorcycles here. Dark brown dirt kicked up into the air as their tires screeched against the ground. The boys on the bikes wore their protective jackets and helmets that advertised different products and brands on it. Zane was racing against his obnoxious best friend Nate, and Zane was beating him by what looked like a mile. Nate was just bad at this stuff, like he was with everything else. Speeding up a little faster, Nate sharply turned around a corner, failing to complete it and flew off his bike, rolling to safety into the dirt. Zane peaked his head behind him for a split second and saw his friend on the ground, and moments later shut off his bike. Zane took off his helmet, shaking his hair out in the process, and called to Nate.

"You okay?" He yelled.

"Yeah!" We both heard a reply back from Nate. Zane turned back around and then noticed Rikki and I leaning against the chain-linked fence. He ran a hand through his hair and gave a wide smile to Rikki. My best friend half-heartedly smiled back and then looked over to me.

"Let's go." She insisted. I felt Zane's eyes glued on our backs the whole way until we disappeared.

I got out of my on going remembering process while I watched Jacob finally look over to me, our eyes meeting. I smiled over to him and gave a small wave. For that split seconds his eyes were off the road, the motorcycle began to wobble and as he tried to shift it back to normal, he made a sharp turn and was thrown off the bike, almost like how Nate was, but more severe. I gasped, as I watched his body hit the ground and tumble over a few times until he landed on his left side, his face opposite me. Was he hurt? He didn't have a helmet or any gear on, and he hit pretty hard, he had to be.

"Oh my God!" I gasped. I ran off the porch, jumped over the small creek and ran as fast as I could to Jacob. I heard the engine to the motorcycle turn off.

"Jake? Jake?" I kneeled down to him. He turned over to me.

"Yeah?" He looked up to me, his voice sounding fine.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I only fell." He laughed.

"You idiot! You scared me half to death." I laughed. He got his arm out from under him and put it behind my head, pulling me in for a kiss. History was repeating itself as Jake kissed me. I was there the day Zane pretended to fall off his bike and then got Rikki scared, went to save him, and then he kissed her, trying to get her back. Minus the pretending to fall off his bike part, I felt like this was a repeat.

"Don't ever do that again. Are you sure you're okay?" I asked when I pulled away. Jacob stood up like nothing just happened. He stretched out his arms.

"Yeah, perfectly fine." He flashed a smile. That wasn't normal, and I was sure of that. Unless you were superman, you would have been hurting a lot from that fall.

"Are you sure you're good? I mean that's not normal, you should been in like massive pain from a fall like that" I asked after we began walking again.

"Well, you're not normal, I'm not normal. I mean like, I don't know, I just don't get hurt a lot." Jacob squeezed my hand.

"Fine, whatever you say." I smiled.

Many hours later, you could find me on the famous jumping cliff with all six guys, including Jacob and my brother. I was sitting on that same wooden log that I sat on two weeks before hand, the day Jacob found out about me. Every time I got lost in my own thoughts, my mind would always replay the scene slowly of me jumping into the water and swimming away feeling as horrible as I did. This time, two weeks later, I felt better than ever, and everything was all right. I didn't have to hide my secret from my boyfriend, and my boyfriend didn't mind having a mythical creature as a girlfriend. I watched all six shirtless guys play around, pushing and shoving each other as jokes. I watched all of them so close; they were all abnormally strong and buff. It was like they were all on steroids or something, especially my brother. But he couldn't be, right? The last time I saw my brother was two thousand and seven, four years ago. And I only occasionally talked to him on the phone, but that didn't count. I've never been so surprised to see some changed their body like that, well someone except my friends and me since we change in a matter of ten seconds. He doesn't seem like the kind of guy to do drugs; he was to much of a goody-good. But all of them seemed like they had perfect bodies, but not once have I seen any of them lift weights or let alone go to a gym. That was their problem, not mine.

"Ari, you okay over there?" My brother called, standing on the edge of the cliff, motioning for the boys to not push him off.

"Yeah, don't worry about me, you're the one jumping off a cliff." I smirked.

"Fine, by me." He laughed and got pushed off a cliff…again. My phone buzzing in my pocket caught my attention. I pulled it out and looked at the screen for a few seconds.

"Ari." Someone said. I looked up to see Jacob standing half way turned towards me.

"You okay?" He asked in almost a whispered tone.

"Yeah, um I'll be right back." I nodded. I answered the phone and got off my log.

"Hey." I answered.

"What's with your message?" Rikki spoke, she was on speakerphone.

"She means 'Hey Ariana, what's up? We got your message, are you okay?'" Emma corrected.

"It's fine Em, I would do the same thing. Before I get into things I just want to say how much I've missed talking to you guys, and it's only been two weeks. How's everything there?"

"Terrible. I hate Charlotte, she deserves to go to Mako and get stuck there, never coming back." Cleo groaned.

"So, basically nothing's changed?"

"Correct." Emma said.

"How was the full moon?" I asked quietly so the guys didn't hear.

"Complicated. We all went camping, courtesy of Cleo's dad, and Cleo almost exposed us and got Charlotte turned into a mermaid. You can thank Emma for saving that one."

"Thank you Emma for not turning Charlotte into—well, you know."

"Are you out in public?"

"Yeah, I'm watching my brother and his friends cliff dive."

"Cliff dive? That's awesome! We should totally do it." Rikki insisted.

"I tried it, it's not that fun." I said.

"What?" All three girls chimed in.

"Explain." Rikki demanded.

"Give me a chance to. Well my brother went away the weekend of the full moon and Jacob and his friends insisted on going cliff diving, obviously, I told them I wasn't going in. While I was texting you guys, it started to rain and at a spur of the moment thought, I jumped off the cliff. And went into the ocean of course, but this is where what I wanted to explain to you guys comes in. Jacob jumped in after me and saw _it_, and he wouldn't say anything, so I swam away." I explained quietly. I caught Sam glancing at me every so often, so I just gave him a smile.

"Is he going to tell? Oh my god, what are we going to do."

"Hold on, let me finish! Well, I explained everything and he's okay with it and is totally fine with me being this way."

"Thank God." Cleo gave a breath of relief.

"I was terrified guys, it was bad."

"Yeah, I can only imagine. By the way, how'd the full moon go on your side of the world?"

"Fine. I basically locked myself up all night, didn't get moonstruck this time."

"Oh, we're so proud." Rikki laughed.

"With everything going on, the last thing you need is for more people to know."

"Yeah, believe me I know."

"Are you ready for the next one?"

"I probably should start preparing myself. I'm not looking forward to it with my brother here this time."

"We'll do anything we can to help!" Cleo happily said.

"Cleo, we're in different continents and thousands of miles away, I don't think it'll help." Rikki said.

"Rikki's got a point." I half smiled. I eventually left the cliff without telling anyone since I was still on the phone with my friends. And we stayed on the phone for hours, but all I could think about was the moon. T-minus 11 days, three hours, and 13 minutes till the next full moon rises. Great.


	14. Disclosed

**A/N: Sorry I took so long to update guys! But I really hope you enjoy this! It took a while to write because I wanted it to be really good, I know it's only 2,400 words but the next chapters going to be really long and exciting:] I've already started to write it and I'm so excited for you to read it! Please review and enjoy my lovely readers. – Elena. **

_Chapter Fourteen:_

_Disclosed_

_Chapter Song: _

_Decode by Paramore_

Rolling over onto my side for the fifth time this morning, I realized I wasn't going to fall back asleep. There was too much on my mind, and it wasn't that easy to push it away. I was going to get up eventually, so whether it was now or later, it didn't matter. I kicked the covers off me and swung my legs over the side of my bed and stood up. My bare feet touched the cold floor and sent a shiver up my back. I strolled over to my window and looked out onto the cool, overcast, fall day. The sun was shining behind the thick grey clouds once again. The moon rose at eight fifteen tonight, and that gave me less than ten hours to prepare. And the first thing to prepare me for the busy day ahead was breakfast. Walking out of my room and down to the kitchen, I found a note placed on the island.

Ariana, didn't want to wake you. Out for the day with Em, if you need anything call us. See you tonight. – Sam.

Perfect. That left me the whole day to myself, getting ready. Crumpling the note up, I threw it in the garbage and grabbed my phone off where I left it last night, the counter. I dialed Rikki and opened the fridge getting a carton of orange juice out. Rikki's phone went to voicemail after a few rings. I tucked the phone between my shoulder and my ear as I poured some juice into a glass.

"Hey Rikki, going to start preparing for the moon tonight. Sam left me alone for the day, so I get to prepare all by myself. Wondering how you guys are doing, I'll talk to you later." I took the phone and placed it on the island after I hung up. Sighing, I took a sip of my juice. This was going to be a long day. A knock at the front door made me jump. I put down my juice and walked over to the door, wondering whom it could be this time.

"Morning sleepy." Jacob playfully smiled.

"Morning." I smiled, giving him a kick kiss as he walked in. Thank God I brushed my teeth.

"Got some coffee, want some?" I noticed a Starbucks coffee cup was in his hand.

"Where's yours?"

"Already had it."

"You're cute." I smiled, "what are you doing here?" I added.

"Just stopping by. Is Sam here?"

"Apparently not, he left me a note saying he was going to be out all day with Emily."

"Really?" He asked, I took a sip of my coffee.

"Really."

"Hm. Wait, isn't tonight the full moon?"

"Yup." I sat down at the table.

"What are you gonna do?"

"Well, with Sam being gone I have time to prepare. So hang out with you, prepare for tonight, go for a swim, come back here an hour before, lock myself in my room for the rest of the night. Awesome Saturday night isn't it?"

"How about we multi-task?"

"What?"

"I'll help you set up, or whatever you do."

"I'm sure that's the last thing you want to do right now, Jake."

"Hey, I asked didn't I?"

"Well, if you really want to." I smirked.

"Thanks again for helping me, I know it's really boring. But, now you get to see what I have to go through every month." I laughed. I was on my tippy toes standing on top of a chair taping cardboard against the window. Jacob was handing me the pieces of tape.

"There." I smiled, turning around handing Jacob the extra strips of tape. I jumped off the chair and landed on my feet, "now my whole room is moon proof. And with, four and a half hours to spare."

"Good. What team work." He joked. "So what do you want to do?"

"I don't know. What about—Jake? What happened to you're arm?" I noticed. Under his sleeve, I could see white bandages.

"Huh? Oh this little thing, I just hurt myself."

"What? Jake is it bad?" I asked, walking over to him and rolling up his sleeve.

"Ariana, it's fine." He winced as I touched the bandage. It was wrapped up to his shoulder.

"It sure seems bad. What happened?" I looked back up to him. He paused for a second, sighing.

"I just—I was with the guys and we were joking around and I fell and got cut and stuff."

"Oh my God, are you okay?"

"Ariana," he cupped my face, "I'm fine." He smiled.

"Sorry, just concerned." I apologized.

"I know, don't worry." He laughed. Then his phone started ringing. He took it out, and looked at the screen. "I've got to take this." He turned serious. I cocked my head and looked at him strangely.

"Hey, what's going on?" He answered. I watched him press the down button for his volume on the phone. I guess he didn't want me listening to what was going on.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'll be right there. See you in a few." He hung up and turned back around to me.

"What's going on?" My brows burrowed.

"I've got to go. I'll see you tomorrow, okay? Good luck with the full moon." He nodded to me, avoiding the question I asked him. He walked out of my room and I sat on my bed, dumbfound for a few seconds until everything that just happened connected with my brain.

"Wait, Jake." I said when I heard him walking down the stairs. The second I was halfway down the stairs, the front door slammed shut. Less than two seconds later, I was turning the knob to the front door. Then I was standing out on the porch, alone. I know Jacob didn't drive here, so how did he walk or run away so fast?

"Jake?" I called. Nothing, I was talking to the wind. Why was he acting so weird and secretive today? But the truth was, it wasn't even just today, it had been the past few weeks since he fell of his bike. Maybe even before that. He'd randomly get a call and then he'd leave saying it was some emergency. Why couldn't he tell me what was going on? He wasn't seeing someone else right? No, he isn't the kind of guy to do that.

A while after Jacob left I decided to go for a swim. And it was a long swim, to get my mind everything that had happened in the past few hours. I must have swum two or three miles, and at one point I saw a dolphin or two. They weren't as friendly as the one's back home, but I still was able to play with them for a couple of minutes. Back on shore, I was greeted to darkness. I pulled myself out of the water and balled my fist over my body. How long did I swim for? And more importantly, what time was it? Once I got my legs back, I stood up and snatched my phone out of my pocket. It was eight twenty one. The moon was already up. Everything inside me just stopped. How was I this stupid? I didn't dare look up into the sky, but I had a feeling this wasn't going to end well. This was unsafe and I was stuck. Immediately, I thought of calling Sam. But I couldn't say 'Hi Sam, please pick me up at the beach before I become in a trance from the full moon. Oh why you ask? It's because I'm a mermaid'. I skipped that whole conversation and dialed Jacob. It went straight to voicemail. I hung up.

"God damn it Jake answer!" I yelled at the phone, and then I slid it back into my denim shorts pocket. My body would begin shaking every so often from the cold air hitting my bare skin. When I came to the beach earlier, it hadn't been this chilly. I could see my breath in front of me. As I began running towards home, I tried Jacob's phone again, and again, and again. It would ring one or twice, then go to voicemail. Then on the third try it went to voicemail completely. Was he ignoring me? Eventually, I found myself running into the forest, the quickest way to Sam's house. Go to get home, go to get home, I repeated over and over in my head. The moonlight was lighting up the ground, giving me enough light to maneuver my way through the forest. Thank God there wasn't any puddles or lakes so the reflection of the moon could compose me. I dodged overgrown tree roots growing out of the ground. Almost halfway home I could hear familiar voices talking close by. I stopped in my tracks, whipping my head around, looking for the voices. They were coming from in front of me. I hushed my breathing so I could hear what was going on.

"I still can't believe Sam's not keeping guard with us." One of the voices said in an annoyed matter. Sam? Sam as in my step-brother Sam?

"He's keeping guard, but it's just at the house. One of us is going to have to do it, mine as well let him do it while he's there." That voice was too familiar.

"Why don't you do it? It is you're girlfriend." Another voice added.

"You know why." The way to familiar voice sighed.

"Whatever. Hey, guys, change back." The first voice from earlier said a little louder. Then the voices were unveiled as they came out of the pitch black and from behind bushes and brush. Before my eyes I watched three shirtless guys and two wolfs come towards me. But they weren't wolves; they were ten times the size of a normal wolf. They were werewolves. I watched as the two wolves transformed into humans, and they weren't just any humans, they were Paul and Quil. And as for the humans, they were Embry, Jared, and none other than my boyfriend, Jacob. Paul and Quil stood up like nothing was wrong, they were shirtless and they had shorts on like the other guys. It was like nothing they were existed. My head felt like it was spinning, and I couldn't move my body.

"Jacob." I whispered. All five boys looked at me with wide eyes. I guess they didn't notice me before.

"Ariana? What-what are you doing out here?" Jacob asked. I stood there agape, my mouth opened to talk, but I couldn't.

"We can explain…" Quil spoke for everyone.

"All of you?" I tried to speak, despite the lump in my throat. They all nodded, except Jacob.

"Jacob?" I looked at him, holding back tears.

"Yeah," He looked down to the floor, "yeah, all of us." The second he said that I closed my eyes and pursed my lips, trying to get the world to stop revolving. My heart was racing, my head was spinning, and my heart was hurting. I told Jacob my secret, and he didn't tell me his. And the fact that he's a murderer. All those stories I've read in the papers about people being killed by mountain lions and wolves, it was Jacob and his friends. And my brother, my brother was one too. I shook my head, trying to doubt everything that had happened, but it wasn't working. A tear escaped my eyes.

"No." I started backing up.

"Ariana—" Jacob started.

"No, just stay away from me." I disagreed, and I ran back to the safest place I knew right now, the beach.

"No, Ariana!" Quil yelled. And then I heard their heavy footsteps following me. How could this be possible? Mermaids yes, then vampires, okay, now werewolves? No, it was impossible. Vampires were impossible! And so were mermaids, but I got used to that idea. The world was so much more supernatural and so much more evil than I knew before I was a mermaid.

"Ariana! Come back!" Embry yelled. No words could get out of my throat, I was to chocked up. My tears were blurring my vision as I ran, but I didn't care. My main goal was to loose the guys. For the second time tonight, I stepped onto the sand of the beach. I looked behind me to see that the guys weren't there anymore. That was, until I turned my head back around and found Paul and Jared in front of me. I stopped short in my place.

"How did you do that?" I started breathing heavily.

"Ariana, you have to listen to us." Jared said.

"It's not possible, it can't be." I gulped, shaking my head.

"Ariana." Jacob's once loving voice came from behind me. I turned around to see him there with Quil and Embry by his side. Before I knew it, I felt Jared's hands wrap around my forearm.

"It is." He said, but I barely heard him. My focus was on the big and bright full moon above and behind Jacob. It agreed with me, it hated Forks, and it hated everything that came along with it.

"What's going on with her?" Embry asked. In my peripheral vision, I saw him wave a hand at me. Jacob turned around and saw the moon.

"Oh no." He said to himself. He sounded like he was miles away.

"Ariana, listen to me." Jacob comforted. But then I took my gaze and attention off the moon and towards all five werewolves in their human forms. I was in such an emotional state; I didn't think the moon did anything to me.

"No, I don't want to listen to you anymore. I want you all to just stay away from me."

"But we're trying to protect you!" Jacob said louder and with more anger.

"No you're not! Just let me go!" I cried. Jared took his grip off my forearm and yelled in pain. I took that as my get away and I turned around, running for the ocean.

"Her arm! It's burning hot!" He yelled to the guys. The waves crashed onto shore, seeping into my sneakers. I ran for nine more seconds until the water was up to my waist, then the cool waves wrapped around my body, forming a tail. I didn't know how long I swam for, but like every single moonstruck mermaid, I blacked out.


	15. World Crashing Down

**A/N: Loved writing this chapter, please enjoy it! Review if you would :] Next chapter up soon! **

_Chapter Fifteen:_

_World Crashing Down_

_Chapter Song: Prodigal by OneRepublic_

_Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop._

You think after all these years I'd get used to waking up early, and how it made me feel. But this was the worst that I've felt in years. My head felt clouded, almost as if I had a hangover. God, what did I do last night? Was I sick? _Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop_. I was dreading to open my eyes and face the day ahead of me. I didn't want to get out of my bed, no matter how hard the mattress felt and how stiff my body was. I moved my outstretched hand and touched my normally soft sheets. Except, I touched something grainy. These weren't my sheets. It's at that moment I realized I wasn't in my bed. There was something gritty under my body and there was some annoying dripping sound that echoed through wherever I was. As much as I didn't want to, I slowly inched open my eyes. But then they shot open. A gasp escaped my mouth. Immediately, I sat up, propping my body up with my stiff right arm. I had to be dreaming, please say I was dreaming. Then the memories of last night flooded in. Jacob, my brother, and their friends were murderous werewolves, and I had found them in the forest last night when I was running, trying to get home because of the full moon. The full moon. The full moon did this. I had to be dreaming, god I hope I'm dreaming. This seemed too real for some lousy dream. Looking around my familiar surroundings, I noticed nothing had changed. Everything was exactly how I left it. I for sure wasn't in my room back in rainy, mystical, and dreary Forks, Washington, but I was in the Moon Pool in Australia. This couldn't be possible. But it was. Without wasting any time, I got up and jumped into the water, knowing exactly where I was heading, shore.

31 miles later, back in civilization and Queensland, I dried myself off. Usually swimming to Mako and back, 62 miles, was a piece of cake, but I felt exhausted. I did after all swim six and a half thousand miles. Personally, I don't understand how I did it, but after all, I was moon struck and determined to get away from Jacob, my lying and secretive boyfriend. Jogging up Oakland Avenue, I headed towards Emma's house. The girls were either going to be there, or Cleo's, so I decided to check Emma's first. I couldn't believe what I've done, how unbelievably moon struck was I? None of us had done something this crazy, even the time Rikki almost killed Zane. How can I put myself in this situation? How was I going to even explain myself? As mad as I was at myself for getting in this mess, it felt great to be back home. But still, overcoming the great feeling of my homecoming, I was scared. Scared, mad, and terrified. But, there were perfectly good excuses for me to feel like this. Jogging up to house number 7384, I noticed Lisa Gilberts silver Volkswagen hadn't been parked in the driveway as it usually was. Her father was almost always at the office, but when he wasn't his car was also parked in the driveway. Good, her parents weren't home, but was Emma? Furiously, I knocked on the door. _Please Emma, be home! _She had to be home.

"Coming!" Emma called loudly. Thank God. Moments later, she opened the door and was counting some money in her hand.

"Here, keep the chang—" She looked up and saw me. "Oh my God." She speechlessly got out.

"We have a problem." I said seriously.

"Wha—how—what?" She confusingly looked at me. I told her we'd discuss it with the others girls as soon as they knew I was here. After, we hugged it out. We couldn't help repeat how much we missed each other. Then we figured we should go upstairs since that's where Cleo and Rikki were, and I probably should say hi. Most of the way up the stairs, I heard Rikki talking.

"Emma, what's taking you so long? I'm starving and I don't smell any piz—" She stopped in her tracks. She was silent and her face was expressionless, but then her lips curled up and she smiled. "Cleo come here. Now." She demanded. I got myself up the stairs and embraced her in a hug. And Rikki wasn't the type of girl you should give a hug too. But she returned it.

"I missed you so much!"

"Rikki, you know I'm trying to study fro bio, I can't be bothered by pizza or Ari? Oh my God! Ari!" She jumped and joined the group hug.

"I can't believe it's you!" Cleo sniffled. We were all on the verge of tears.

"You guys don't understand how happy I am to see you!" This was like separation anxiety between all of us; we've never been apart this long before. No matter how much we fought, or didn't agree on something, we were mermaid sisters and we couldn't be apart for so long. For there, you could hear the phrases 'oh my God' 'I missed you' and 'I can't believe it' coming from our mouths every thirty seconds.

"Hey guys, stop!" Rikki said loud enough for everyone stopped talking, "why are you here?" She finally realized.

"RikkI! That's rude." Cleo said.

"No Cleo, she has a point. You said to me you'd explain once we were upstairs." Emma crossed her arms.

"Last night was the full moon, wasn't it?" Rikki noticed.

"Yeah, but it was so much more than that."

We got comfortable in Emma's room. Emma got the desk chair, Cleo got the window seat, and Rikki and I sat ourselves on the bed.

"Why wouldn't you tell us you were coming? You know I don't like surprises." The naïve Cleo commented. Rikki did what I expected her to do, groan.

"Guys, I don't remember anything after diving in the ocean."

"You swam here?"

"I had to. I woke up on the floor of the moon pool."

"How are you not dead tired from swimming so far?"

"I don't know."

"What do you think made you came here? When we usually just swim for hours then come back on shore."

"I don't know but—" The doorbell rang. Cleo looked out the window.

"That might be our guy who does know." She must have meant Lewis. She gave him a thumb up and then I heard the downstairs door open. I sighed, having too much on my mind.

"Cleo, Emma, RIkki, Ariana.." He waved and put his jacket on Emma's desk. With his back to Rikki, Cleo, and I, we all raised eyebrows.

"Ariana!" He turned around.

"Nice to see you too." I sarcastically rolled my eyes.

"What are you doing here?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out." Emma said.

"What do you mean?"

"I got moonstruck last night and I swam here, but I don't remember doing it."

"Wow, that's unbelievable."

"Why do you think she did? We usually just swim out a few miles, not a few thousands."

"Hm, that's a tough one. Maybe it had something to do with missing Mako or maybe your brain thinking how you were missing home or something around that. Had anything happened that made you want to come home?" Lewis asked. I breathed out loudly and looked down to the bedspread. I wasn't planning on telling them about what happened with Jacob, but I had to tell someone, it was eating me up alive. I had a feeling they weren't going to believe me, or think I was crazy. I bit onto my lip and had an internal fight with myself, contemplating if I should tell them or not. They were my best friends, I told them everything.

"Ariana…" Cleo quietly said.

"Yeah." I exhaled the breath I was holding. "There is. I've been meaning to tell you guys something. And I think it's why I came back home." I chewed on my lip more.

"You know you can tell us anything."

"I know. And that's why I'm telling this. Please, don't think I'm crazy or tell me it was the full moon playing with my head, because this was before I saw it. But, my boyfriend, and my brother, and their friends, their werewolves." Everyone was silent. Even Lewis for a change.

"What?" Rikki looked at me.

"Werewolves?" Cleo spoke up.

"That's impossible." Lewis' eyebrows furrowed/

"I thought so too. Believe me, I still think it's impractical."

"Mermaids, vampire's and werewolves. This is insane." Emma thought.

"I really should have known something weird was up with Jacob's behavior. He was acting so weird the past few weeks."

"How'd you find out?" Lewis asked.

"I took a swim a couple of hours before the moon rose and I guess I lost track of time, and I got out and it was dark. And I checked my phone, it was a few minutes after the moon rose so I kept calling Jacob but he didn't answer. So I took a short cut home so I didn't get moonstruck, but it was through the forest. And while I was going through I heard voices and I stopped and then Jacob walked through with two of his friends and these huge wolves and then one of the guys told the wolves to change back. And they did. Then they told me they could explain but I was so absolutely angry and scared I ran towards the beach. Then when they caught up to me, I saw the moon and apparently my skin was heating up. I don't know, but I remember Jared holding me and yelling saying something like my skin was burning."

"Normal moonstruck affects. But why were you scared? Because they were werewolves?"

"That and they've killed people."

"What are you talking about?"

"I've read in the papers they found bodies mauled by wolves and mountain lions."

"Oh my God." Cleo gasped.

"Tell me about it. My step brother and boyfriend."

"And he knows about you." Rikki added.

"Yeah, he wouldn't tell though. Even though he hid this from me, he wouldn't do that."

"Are you sure?" Emma looked at me.

"He's my boyfriend—he was my boyfriend. He wouldn't do that."

"Ariana, you know the whole packs secret, why wouldn't his whole pack know your secret now?" Rikki reasoned.

"No. He wouldn't do that." I tried to disagree, but I knew Rikki was right.

"Why don't we go to the Juice Net and grab a bite? Might cheer you up." Cleo got up from the seat.

"Yeah, that sounds perfect." I smiled.

"It's so good to be home." I took a deep breath in of the warm and crisp Australian air. We walked into the Juice Net to see it with its usual crowd. I saw Nate in the corner hitting on some girls, a few familiar people from school, and a couple college students here and there. Emma gave me a few bucks for my drink since all my money was back in Washington.

"One Blue Berry Blitz please."

"Ariana?" I looked up to see Ash at the counter.

"Ash. Hey!" I smiled.

"What are you doing here? I didn't know you were coming!" Neither did I.

"Yeah, I took an unexpected vacation. Let's just say I needed to get away." I chuckled.

"How's Washington been? Sorry I haven't called." He said, putting my smoothie in the blender.

"Don't worry. And Washington, it's been more interesting than I thought it would be." Ash handed me my drink.

"I guess that's good. How long are you going to be here for?" Oh my God, I totally forgot about how I was going to get home. I couldn't swim six and a half thousand miles again and especially not being moonstruck. And I for sure couldn't wait another month and become moonstruck, there was no knowing I could return back to Washington in that state.

"I haven't booked my flight home yet so, I'll tell you before I leave." I took a sip of my drink. It even tasted like home.

"Good. I'll see you later, okay?" He said, waiting on another customer. I nodded my head, walking away. At the counter waiting for food, I spotted Zane.

"Hey stranger." I said, walking up next to him.

"Hi—Ariana?"

"Nice to see you too." I smirked. I laughed, and gave me a hug.

"What are you doing here?" I wonder how many times I was going to hear that today.

"Full moon issues." I said quieter.

"Did you swim here?"

"Apparently." I nodded.

"What? How?"

"Lewis said it was because deep down inside I wanted to go home and last night especially."

"Why? What happened last night?"

"Besides finding out my boyfriends some supernatural creature, nothing much."

"You're joking."

"I wish.

"Please explain on this later, while we're not in public for someone to get suspicious."

"Will do." I nodded. I walked over to a full table of my friends all drinking smoothies. I sat myself on the end of the booth, and started drinking my smoothie.

"I don't think Kim can get any more annoying. She keeps texting me complaining about nonsense." Cleo complained. Texting…I forgot I had my phone!

"Oh my God, I have my phone with me." I dug into my shorts pocket and pulled out my phone. It had been on silent this whole time, so I flipped the volume switch to on. I clicked the circular button and the screen lit up. One missed call from Paul, two from Jared, four from Embry and Emily, six from Quil, nine from Sam, and forty-two from Jacob. Ten voicemails filled my mailbox, and sixteen texts, 12 from Jacob, 3 from Sam, and one from Quil. I don't think my phones ever been so blown up. I read through the text messages, first the ones from Sam.

_Ari, where are you?_

_Answer your phone._

_I'm literally going to kill you. Where are you? _Then I read the one from Quil.

Ariana, I'm really sorry. Please if you get this, call Jacob, he's freaking out. Or at least let us hear from one of us, Sam's starting to ask questions. Then I went to the ones from Jacob. There were a lot of repeats, and there was even one from five minutes ago.

_Answer me, please._

_I'm begging you, please._

_Ariana, where are you?_

_It's been hours, please answer me._

_Ariana, Sam's getting worried, why aren't you home?_

_Please Ari, I don't know if you're moonstruck or what, but please give me a sign that you're okay._

_I'm sorry._

_I'm really sorry. For everything._ And the rest were of him freaking out about where I was. Then I moved onto the voicemails. But, the restaurant was to loud for me to hear anything.

"I'll be right back guys." I said, getting out of the booth and walking outside out onto the grassy area. Voicemail after voicemail from Jacob were of him begging for an answer, that he was sorry, and that he didn't mean to hurt me, it was for my own protection. He would explain everything. I looked at my phone and sighed, wondering what to do. I ran a hand through my hair as I looked out onto the intercostals. Then my phone started ringing. It was Jacob…again. Reluctantly, I slid the bar and answered it. But I didn't say anything, I didn't know what to say. I was speechless, how could I talk to him?

"Ariana? Is that you?" He wondered.

"Yeah," I hesitated, "it's me."

"Finally. Where are you?"

"You lied." I avoided the question.

"Please, Ariana."

"So you didn't lie? You didn't hide what you were, and you didn't keep all these secrets from me after I told you mine? What happen to no more lies anymore? Did that just exclude you?"

"Ariana of course it didn't. I wanted to tell you, I just couldn't. I promise, I'll explain later. Now please, tell me where you are. I know you're not at home or anywhere in Forks, we've been out looking for you all night. Where did you go?"

"Don't pretend to care. Everything we had was a lie."

"No it wasn't. And I'm not pretending, I do care. Why wouldn't I? Please Ariana, just let me explain everything. I'll come get you."

"You can't."

"Yes, I can."

"No Jacob, you can't…" I stopped but then faced what I was going to tell him, "Because I'm in Australia." I finished.

"What? You're where?"

"Listen, I don't remember how I got here because I got moonstruck last night, but somehow I did. And I don't know how or when I'm going to get home, but you have to do me one important thing. You can't let Sam know anything. He cant know what I am and he can't know that I'm back home. Because he will ask questions. I don't care if I know his secret, but he can't know mine."

"Of course, anything." Funny, he sounded caring.

"And I'm taking it as that the guys know about me."

"They've been asking questions, but I haven't said anything."

"And I'm hoping that you won't."

"I would never. Don't you trust me?" He wondered, I never answered that question.

"I've got to go. I'll talk to you soon" I plainly said.

"Soon? No Ariana, I—" I heard Jacob say before I hung up the phone. I took a deep breath in and squeezed my eyes shut. When was this crazy ride going to stop? I exhaled my breath and cleared my head, until I heard an evil chuckling behind me.

"Well, well, well, look who it is. It's none other than little miss Ariana." The voice sneered. I turned around to see Charlotte walking towards me with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Charlotte. As always, such a pleasure to see you." I sarcastically put out.

"What are you doing here? Come running back to Australia already?"

"Close, I'm visiting. And like you should have been doing the second you got here, I'm gonna get going." I gave her a sarcastic smile and turned around, walking the other way.

"Or maybe it's because you had a moon issure." She said a little louder. I stopped in my place and turned around to her. She didn't know I was a mermaid, she only knew about Cleo, Emma, and Rikki.

"Excuse me?"

"Maybe you're here because you got moonstruck. And you know what I'm talking about, don't deny it."

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. But what I do know is that I'm not in the mood for it right now Charlotte. Why don't you go annoy Lewis? Or that rare somebody that likes you?"

"Wow, how rude to treat a fellow mermaid. Especially when you don't deserve to be one." She snickered, motioning her hand up from the intercostals, and throwing a water ball at me. But it stopped right in front of my face. The translucent ball of water was floating in mid air, and by the look on Charlotte's face, she wasn't doing it. She rolled her eyes and groaned, making me turn around and see Cleo and Rikki. Cleo's hand was raised, controlling the water ball.

"Of course."

"Cleo. Rikki." She hissed.

"Charlotte, get out." Rikki demanded.

"And if I don't?"

"Then we'll get Lewis." Cleo said, I could hear the hurt in her voice. The mahogany brown haired girl stopped and thought for a second.

"Using Lewis as a defense mechanism, funny Cleo. I've got to go anyways." She walked towards me. Then she stopped right next to me.

"Watch your back." Charlotte whispered, then she left. Great, now Charolette was added to the ongoing list of problems. No matter where I went, I wasn't safe.

"You called him didn't you?" Cleo made her way over to me. I nodded.

"I had to. I had to tell him. He called me, I just answered."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Rikki asked, to my surprise.

"There's not much to say. He said he was sorry."

"Do you forgive him?"

"I don't know how I can after everything."

"Did you tell him you're here?"

"I made him promise not to tell anyone. But, he asked to many times, he wasn't going to stop calling me until I told him. It's not like he's going to come and get me and drag me back."

"Even if he did, would you want to go back?"

"No. After everything that's happened, no."

"What are you going to do?"

That's the problem, I don't know." I sighed but managing to keep the tears in my eyes was impossible. I started to cry heavily.

"Aww, come here." Cleo hugged me, Rikki joined in.

"Why him? What ever happened to everything being normal." I sobbed.

"It's okay, don't worry." My out of character blonde friend commented.

"I hate him, RIkki." I sobbed, clutching my friends. As much as I wanted to, I could never hate Jacob. But I tried my best to. After everything he's done to me, I hated him. I hated what he was, I hated the lies he told me, and I hated his whole act. I never wanted to go back to Forks, I never wanted to see Jacob or even my brother again.


	16. The Day After Tomorrow

**A/N: Sorry I haven't uploaded in 10 days! Here's this chapter and if I get 3+ reviews, I'll update the next one today/tomorrow! Enjoy :] **

_Chapter Sixteen_

_The Day After Tomorrow_

_Chapter Song: Waiting Outside The Lines by Greyson Chance_

Every few hours I'd get a text or two here and a missed call or three there. And of course, they were from Jacob. The fact that Sam hadn't tried once to get a hold of me made me wonder what Jacob had told him. Emma, Cleo, RIkki, and I were sitting in the Gilbert family kitchen eating pizza when Emma's mom walked in the house.

"Emma, I'm home." She announced, but when she walked into the kitchen, she was happy to see all three girls…then she saw me.

"Ariana?" She was a mixture of confused, happy, and shocked.

"Hi Mrs. Gilbert." I tried to smile.

"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in the states?"

"Yeah, but my brother booked me a surprise plane ticket, and here I am." How did I think of a lie so quickly?

"That's wonderful! I'm so glad you girls are together again. That flight must have been a drag. When did you get in?"

"Late morning."

"Wonderful. Well you're welcome to stay here if you're not staying at Cleo's or Rikki's."

"Thank you." I smiled.

"How was work, mum?" Emma asked.

"Very long. Be happy you're still enjoying the high school days."

"I am, don't worry." She chuckled. "By the way, Elliot called asking where you were about five minutes ago."

"My phone ran out of battery. He's at a friends probably annoyed that he can't get ahold of me. I better go pick him up, I'll see you girls later, alright?"

"Alright, see you Mrs. Gilbert." We said. When the front door shut, my phone rang again. I pulled it out of my pocket and looked at the screen, the pressed ignore and slammed my phone on the table screen-down.

"I've got an idea." Rikki grabbed my phone and held down a button on the top, turning it off.

"For our limited girl time that will be uninterrupted for the next few days." She gave me a strong smile.

"No, you're right. This is our special and unfortunately short time together; I can't worry about Jacob right now. He can wait." I confidently tried to convince my friends and myself. My smile was broken and weak.

"Good. Now, who wants to go see a movie? Particularly one with some hot guy taking his shirt off multiple times?" Rikki looked around the table for our opinion.

"I vote yes." Cleo giggled.

"Agreed." Said Emma.

"Come on, let's go." I finally spoke up.

I went a whole day without my phone. One whole day. That's like a year and a half in girl world. But somehow, I didn't miss it to much. Well, I didn't miss the constant flow of texts and calls from Jacob, and Jacob only. But it felt weird not holding it in my hand or feeling it in my pocket. Rikki was right though, I felt ten times better not having Jacob's calls hanging over me. Instead, I enjoyed my night with the girls. We went to see a movie, then went back to Emma's for a big sleepover, where we stayed up all night watching movies, eating popcorn, and gossiping. And that gossiping mainly included Lewis and Charlotte. Now, I was sitting on Emma's bed using her laptop searching flights back to hell…I mean home. I didn't want to go home, I really didn't. I loved it here, it was like everything in my life was normal again. Well, normal as a mermaid's life can get, but I wanted to stay here forever. The girls had gone out to go do something, and they told me to stay here and relax, which I was fine with. Clicking SEA, which was Seattle Airport, and 'GO', only for my hopes to drop as much as my jaw did. 1,300 dollars for a 25-hour flight. Twenty-five hours on a plane, that was just as painful as swimming all the way back. And the problem was that I didn't have almost 1 and a half grand. I couldn't take it out of my account because my mom would see it, and wonder why and how I got to Australia if there wasn't a round trip. I was dead, there wasn't away back, which I was perfectly fine with, but I'm sure my mom wouldn't be. Asking my brother or Jacob for a thousand dollars was out of the question, even if they did have to do with me being halfway across the world at the moment. But I couldn't ask them, whether it was their fault or not. So it looks like I was swimming home, non moonstruck this time. Great, couldn't wait to do that. I quietly sighed, thinking of how hard it was going to be to swim back.

"Having fun?" A voice asked. My head popped up. The girls were back.

"Hey, sorry I didn't hear you guys come in." I closed out of the Internet and shut the laptop.

"Hey, it's my room, not need to be sorry."

"Right, um, what's up? Where'd you guys go?" I wondered.

"Getting homework stuff from Lewis." Emma said.

"Are you sure you guys are okay with skipping while I'm here."

"More than happy!" Rikki easily said.

"We'll catch up on the work." Cleo smiled.

"You guys are the best, thanks. So anyways, what do you guys wanna do?" I asked, swinging my legs over the bed.

"I don't know." Cleo mused.

"Wanna go for a swim then go out for a bite?" Rikki suggested.

"Sure." I stood up and walked out towards the canal outside the Gilberts backyard.

"Can someone tell me why we're not going through the Moon Pool entrance?" I asked, pushing large palm branches away from my face. We walked through the crowded jungles of Mako Island. Birds chirped from above, closely watching us move our way towards the land entrance to the moon pool.

"You've already swam through so why not walk there, it's much prettier and you haven't seen it in months!" Cleo awkwardly said.

"Yeah, I guess I did. Thanks, Cleo?" I chuckled. We walked the familiar path: jumping over a stream, walking up a hill, and climbing up the waterfall. Then we were there, the hole that was the entrance to the moon pool cave. There was a fairly big rock in front of the entrance, and with her feet, Rikki pushed it aside, revealing the hole.

"New hiding technique?" I wondered.

"Zane thought of it, so there's no more '_Charlotte's'_." Rikki admitted.

"Smart." I commented. Rikki slid down the whole first, then Emma went, Cleo proceeded, then I was the last down. Just like the day we fell down here accidently, it was like an exact repeat. We crawled to where the cave was high enough to stand, and then we walked into the Moon Pool. And I wasn't expecting what happened when I stepped foot onto the sandy floor.

"Surprise!" Five voices yelled. The Moon Pool room was decorated with 'Welcome Home' banners, balloons, confetti, picnic blankets, hanging lights, and lots of food, which was spread across the picnic blanket.

"Oh my God, what, you guys!" I said in between laughs.

"Just a little something to welcome you back." Rikki smirked.

"No you didn't." I smiled. Sitting along the picnic blanket was Lewis and Zane, and now they were joined by my friends and I.

"But we did. Don't you like it?"

"No, I love it." I said, and we began our feast.

"Say cheese." Lewis ordered, holding his big DSLR camera to his face. The camera flashed and snapped a photo of us with a huge chocolate cake that had 'Welcome Back Ariana' in red icing. Lewis cut the cake and we all began to stuff our faces, even more than we did during dinner. This was the best days that I've had in a while, I actually laughed, and my smile was real.

"Zane." Rikki said, giving him a look.

"Oh! I almost forgot." Zane spoke up, putting his empty paper plate on the picnic blanket. He dug into his bag and pulled out a white envelope. And what was so unexpected, he handed it to me.

"What? For me?" I looked at the sealed envelope before taking it. My eyebrows furrowed, what was in the envelope?

"Yes for you, now take it." Rikki forcefully ordered.

"Are you guys in on this?" I looked from Lewis, to Emma, then to Cleo. They kept their mouths shut, so I knew their answer. Yes. Carefully, not knowing what was in the envelope, I slipped my finger under the fold and opened it. There was a rectangular shaped piece of paper. I pulled it out and studied it. On the top right of it, there was a small bar code. And on the top left of the paper, there was the words 'United Airlines' in big bold letters. Every time I thought this wouldn't be mine, I was wrong since I saw my name placed on the top under the logo. It had a few confusing numbers on it, so I quickly scanned the paper 'Flight 1192. Terminal B. Gate 18. Brisbane to Seattle (SEA).' And on the bottom in big, black, and bold letters it read 'Boarding Pass'.

"Is this…no it's not." I continued to stare at the plane ticket. My friends had just bought me the plane ticket back home.

"Yeah, it is. We all chipped in." Cleo giggled.

"Oh my God, guys this is to much. I can't take it."

"And why would that be?" Zane asked, "please don't say you already bought one."

"No, no it's not that. It's just that it's so expensive. I saw the prices this morning; the cheapest one is like a thousand three hundred. I can't let you guys buy me that."

"Hey, you need a way home somehow." Emma shrugged.

"And it's non refundable." Rikki added.

"At least let me pay you guys back."

"Not happening." Zane disagreed. The others agreed with him.

"We know how much you don't want to go home, but we, including you, know that you have to get home eventually. Believe us, we don't want you leaving. And we know you couldn't get the money without being suspicious with your credit card around your mom and stuff, so we figured we could get it for you. It's the least we can do." Cleo explained.

"I know that I do have to go back and I know that I have to face my brother and Jacob. So as much as I don't want to leave you guys, thank you. It means a ton."

"You're welcome." All five of them said. I looked down to the ticket. It's date was

for October 27th. Today was the twenty-fifth, I left the day after tomorrow.

"How about we enjoy the last few days we have with each other and stop moping." Rikki suggested, everyone had a frown on their face but then agreed with her. So our frowns turned into smiles.

_Everything looked hazy when I opened my eyes. I was lying on the ground of Mako Island, but I wasn't in the moon pool, I was in the forests. How did I get here? I couldn't remember anything. A rustling in the bushes in back of me caught my attention. My body snapped up and I turned my head around, leaning myself up on my hands. _

"_Hello?" My voice echoed. It was dark outside. Not night dark but it was extremely overcast, the clouds and sky looked like Forks on a rainy day. The bushes rustled again. _

"_Hello? Whose there?" I got up and brushed the dirt off my bare legs and shorts. I heard footsteps, and I followed them. I made my way past the overgrown trees and stopped in my tracks once I saw who was standing in front of me. _

"_Jacob?" I breathed out. _

"_Told you I could come get you." He said with evil in his voice. Something wasn't right. Just the way he looked at me, I felt like he was going to kill me. Then all of the sudden, Rikki came out from behind Jacob. _

"_Rikki?" I looked from her to Jacob and back. Rikki, the girl who never feared anything, looked terrified. He grabbed Rikki by the wrists and pulled her close to him. _

"_Jacob, what's going on?" I gulped. _

"_You hurt me, I hurt you." He simply and quickly put his hands around the base of Rikki's head and neck, and snapped it. Everything turned into slow motion. _

"_No!" I screamed. She fell to the floor and didn't move. When I looked up, Jacob wasn't there. _

"_You made a big mistake." Jacob's voice whispered in my ear. I twirled my body around, how did Jacob get behind me? _

"_Jacob, please, no." I cried. I tried using my powers, but they wouldn't work. He snickered and went for my neck. _Gasping for air, I woke up in a pant. It was just a dream. A terrible, terrible dream. I was in Cleo's room, on the spare mattress placed on the floor. There was a bit of light coming through the closed shades on the window. I turned the digital clock next to my mattress towards me.

"4 AM? Really?" I whispered to myself. Today was October 27th, the day my plane was going to take off for Washington. I sat up and looked around the room. Cleo was fast asleep in her bed. Emma was in the sleeping bag next to the bed, and Rikki was sprawled out in her sleeping bag near the bathroom door. Everyone was asleep but me. My plane was set to leave at 6:45, and I needed 30 minutes to check into the airport, and an hour to get there. So I decided to stay up, thinking of what was going to happen tomorrow when I arrived in America.

Zane pulled his father's black Range Rover in between the line of cars at the airport drop off. We, the girls, Lewis, Zane, and I, all piled out of the car with tears in our eyes. Well, the girls and I were tearing up. The whole car ride here we talked about when our next visit would be and how much we would miss each other.

"I guess this is it." Cleo sighed.

"I'll see you guys soon, okay?" I wiped away a tear that escaped my eyes.

"Promise we'll talk every day?" Emma wondered.

"I promise. Take care of everyone for me. And feel free to tell Charlotte I wont miss her." I laughed.

"More than happy too." Cleo smiled. I walked over to Lewis and gave him a hug.

"I'll miss you." He hugged me back.

"Lewis, you know that you're like my brother and I love you so much so I'm going to tell you the truth. Charlotte needs to go."

"Not you too." He chuckled.

"Just trust me." I smiled, then made my way to Zane.

"Good luck with everything." He embraced me.

"Thanks, I'll need it. And take care of Rikki."

"Believe me, will do."

"Oh, and Zane, I heard you payed a lot of my ticket. Thanks, so much."

"Don't mention it. Next time you come back, give me a call first."

"You'll be the first one to call." I laughed.

"I'll see you soon, Ari." He gave me one last hug. Tears escaped my eyes again.

"We'll miss you so much." Rikki cried as I walked over to the girls.

"Not as much as I'll miss you. I'll call you guys when I land, okay?" I assured them.

"Sounds good."

"And Em, I promise you I'll send back your clothes and bag as soon as I get home." I told her, eyeing the small blue duffle bag on the floor. Emma had let me borrow her clothes since I didn't have any of my own.

"No rush."

"I'll see you soon, okay?" I wiped away more tears, we pulled each other into a group hug.

"Yes, very soon. Now, go before you miss your plane." Rikki said, even she was tearing up. We finished our group hug.

"Bye guys." I waved, picking up the duffle bag and slinging it over my shoulder. I walked towards the automatic sliding glass doors. I turned around before I walked through them and waved to my friends, not knowing when I would see them again. The second I left them, I was scared. Scared for what was to come when I boarded that plane and stepped miles near Forks.


	17. What You Don't Know Can Hurt You

**A/N: Wow, so many reviews! Thank you so much everyone, I really enjoy seeing so many people like my story. Anyways, I've never updated the same story twice in a day, so this is kind of like a new record? Well enjoy and please review, etc (you know the whole spiel lol) I'll update soon! Have a wonderful Sunday. By the way, I recommend listening to the chapter song, it's brilliant! Xox – Elena**

_Chapter Seventeen_

_What You Don't Know Can Hurt You_

_Chapter Song: Goodbye Apathy by: OneRepublic_

"You may now undo your seatbelts and leave the plane. Once again thank you for flying with United Airlines and enjoy your visit to Washington, United States." The pilot announced over the loud speaker thirty-one hours later. I watched the plane come to a complete halt as my head leaned against the window. Like all other days in Northwest Washington, it was overcast and grey, the sun hidden behind the clouds. I let out a silent sigh, sat myself up and grabbed Emma's bag. The plane wasn't to busy, there wasn't to many people coming to Washington from the beautiful continent of Australia. I let the one person next to me get out and down the isle before I was one of the lasts ones to let myself off the plane. Slowly, I made my way out of the aerobridge and was greeted by a bustling airport. But even with being surrounded by thousands of people, I felt alone and scared. I was in Seattle and I wasn't ready for what was awaiting me at home. From there, I went down a few escalators and walked outside to the drop off area. I couldn't help but think more than a day later how weird it was to be in the exact same area of an airport but in a different country. A little bit more than a day ago, I was hugging my friends crying that I'll miss them, now I was on the verge of crying from being so terrified of my homecoming. Lines of taxis were waiting for passengers, and I flagged one of them down.

"Where too miss?" The mid aged taxi driver turned his head to ask me.

"8320 La Push Road." I told him. That wasn't my home address. It was Jacob's.

I could barely pay the man. Not because I didn't have enough money, it was because my hands were shaking so hard. He looked at me like I was an idiot, but I didn't care. I was scared out of my mind. I handed him the rest of the American money Emma had exchanged for me at the bank two days ago and got out of the car. Jacob's house stood in front of it and me was like I was staring right into a torture cell. It was scary. I shut the taxi door, and then stood there trying to get my breath normalized. The taxi drove away, bumping along the uneven dirt road. I got enough courage to walk up the porch and knock on the door. What was Jacob going to say? What about Sam? What was I going to say? How was everyone going to react? Why was I even doing this, I was just putting myself in danger, I was probably going to get killed. Who was I kidding, I'm nuts for coming back here! Maybe I should just turn around and get back on another plane to Australia. That's exactly what I should do. I shouldn't have left in the first place. Right when I was about to turn on my heel, the front door to the Black house opened and my heartbeat quadrupled. But there was nothing to worry about, it was just Billy.

"Ariana, I'm surprised to see you here." He said. _Yeah me too_, I thought.

"Is Jacob here?" I wondered.

"No, I was hoping he's been with you or at least you would know where he is. He hasn't come home in two days."

"What? He's missing?"

"I just don't know where he is. I called the guys and your brother but they wont answer their phones, so maybe their with him. If you find him, can you please tell him to call me?"

"Yean of course. I'll see you later Billy." I gave him a small smile. After a sad goodbye, he shut the door. I only wondered where Jacob could be, but then I asked myself why did I even care? He hurt me and he lied to me. Why should I bother caring about someone like that? Slowly, I made my way through the forests, extending my time to not go home. But I had to get it over with and I knew I had to. It was like I was going to hell. I didn't even know what to expect, but I was shaking. I pulled my phone out of the jeans Emma lent me and turned it on, since I hadn't used it in four days now. Once it booted up, I looked at a suspiciously low amount of texts and calls from Jacob. In fact, I hadn't gotten any from him yesterday, the day I spent on the plane. And the day before that, they all stopped coming in at three in the afternoon. There was defiantly something going on, but I didn't care. I didn't care, right? Eventually, I got to the house. Sam's car was there, but Emily's wasn't. Great. I felt like if Emily was going to be there, I would have been a bit safer. But nothing was going right for me, so why should this? I could faintly hear voices laughing in the backyard. Maybe it was Jacob? I walked up the porch and reluctantly looked at the front door knob. Here goes nothing. As my hand wrapped around the doorknob, I turned it and hesitantly walked in. I ran a hand through my hair, scared of who was going to find me first. My heartbeat was pounding in my head and it made my legs weak. I'm surprised I wasn't on the floor having a heart attack. And I got even more petrified when I realized Sam was on the couch.

"Can you tell the guys to get J—" Sam turned around on the couch from looking down at something on his lap.

"Ariana?" He looked at me and got off the couch.

"Where's Jacob?" I quietly asked, hiding the fear in my voice. I dropped the duffle bag on the ground near the stairs.

"Where's—" Sam stopped himself and shook his head. "I don't set a lot of rules, Ariana. Not with you. I wanted to be the cool brother who doesn't mind when you don't come home past your curfew, or stays out for the night. But you really think you can come in here like nothing's wrong after being gone for five days? And the first thing you ask is 'where's Jacob?'. You couldn't just give me a call saying you were visiting a friend out in Seattle? Was that were you really were? Or did Jacob lie to me when he said that's where you went to, because somehow between how everyone was acting, I didn't believe him. That's not even your bag, I don't even think I've seen those clothes before! Where were you? And don't lie to me." Sam exclaimed. He was genuinely pissed, and he had every right to be. But I did too.

"Now's not the time you want to talk to me about lies." I said. Wow, my voice sounded strong for how I felt.

"No. Don't turn this back on me. I didn't do anything. I thought we were closer than that." Though Sam was only feet from me, I kept my distance from him.

"Really? Okay question When were you going to tell me you're a werewolf?" I asked with an attitude, cocking my head. Sam froze. His eyes widened and he was speechless.

"I'm not going to get mad on how you hid it from me, because I know exactly where your coming from with hiding an important secret But when you're putting me in danger, that's where I'm gonna get mad. I trusted you, Sam. I thought we were closer than that." I walked past my speechless brother, who stood there with his lips parted and completely still.

"Ariana, I didn't, I couldn't." My brother stuttered.

"I don't want to hear it." I hissed, walking into the kitchen. I grabbed a glass out of the cupboard and was about to grab a drink when I saw _them_ outside in the backyard. Paul, Embry, Quil, and Jared were joyfully laughing with each other. Jacob wasn't with him. I stomped over to the sliding glass door and opened it. I quickly and angrily walked my way over to all four shirtless guys, who were standing around laughing with one another.

"Where is he?" I yelled.

"Oh! Look whose home!" Paul barked. You know what, I was probably going to get killed just for knowing what they were, so why not blow up at them. I had nothing to lose…except my life.

"What did he tell you?" I yelled at them. Paul was enjoying this; he had a slight smirk on his face. I could see Quil's face in my peripheral vision. He was looking away from me, and he looked guilty.

"Nothing! He told us nothing!" Embry yelled to me.

"Then where is he?"

"That's the point! We locked him up because he was hiding what you were from us! None of us can keep secrets and he's keeping it from us. That's against everything." Jared explained with rage in his voice.

"You locked him up? Ugh, you idiots!" I screamed, and there was a clack of thunder. You could blame me for that.

"Because he lied!" Jared bellowed.

"You did too!"

"Whatever!" Embry hissed.

"Then what are you?" Paul infuriatingly asked.

"A mermaid! I'm a mermaid! And Jacob was hiding it from you because I made him promise not too!" I shouted. They all got quiet, not knowing what to say.

"Where were you? We searched everywhere for you." Quil finally spoke up. He was the only one that didn't sound angry.

"Australia."

"You're joking." Paul laughed.

"I don't have time for this! Where is he?" My voice began to rise again.

"Basement." Jared plainly said.

"You idiots!" I shook my head and stormed off. When I got in the house I forced myself to be calmed down. I took a few breaths before I made my way to the basement door. It was chained and locked. I unwrapped the chains and threw them on the floor. I put my hand on the top of the doorframe, searching for the key to unlock it. There was none. I jiggled the doorknob, but it wouldn't work, so I decided to use my powers on it. I balled my fist over the knob until it was steaming, the lock melted. My hand did a stopping motion and I waited a few seconds until it cooled off, then I turned it. The second I walked in I could smell something burning. Metal mixed with something. I looked at the doorknob and saw that it was still steaming, and there was a burn mark on it with some type of liquid. It smelled floral and mixed with herbs. Ignoring it, closing the door, and turned myself back to walk down the stairs.

"Not in the mood guys. If you aren't gonna give me my phone back or at least let me get out of here and take the damn Wolfsbane off the door, I don't want to—" Jacob stopped mid sentence when I came around the corner. What was there to say? How did I start it off? Why was I doing this, I should have just yelled at my brother and his friends then let them keep Jacob here. I didn't know what to say to him. After everything I said about him these past five days, I didn't know what to say. How stupid could I be?

"Hi." That's all I said. Smart Ariana, smart.

"Hi." He said, stunned. He got up from the desk he was sitting at. This was Sam's study room. It was a weird place for a study room, I know.

"You could have told me." Was this all I was going to say? I had to stick up for everything that just happened.

"I wanted to tell you."

"We agreed on no more lies and only the truth after you found out my secret. If you told me, I probably could have handled the truth. I could have been able to handle that you are a werewolf, and I have a werewolf brother, and that my friends and me are mermaids. I'm trying to accept the fact that the world is a much more mysterious place than I ever thought possible, but this? After you told me that we weren't hiding anything anymore. What you don't know can hurt you, Jacob." I took a few steps towards him.

"I know. I was going to tell you, I really was."

"And when were you going to tell me?"

"Soon, I had to."

"Why? Were you afraid that all your lies would catch up to you?"

"We're not allowed. It's not safe."

"What isn't safe is being surrounded by you, my brother, and the other guys."

"What?"

"What am I to you? Some chew toy you can get rid off like all your other victims?

"Of-of course not. Victims? What are you talking about?"

"All those articles in the paper about hikers being mauled by wolves? Did you just expect me to be perfectly fine with you killing people? Was I next?"

"Ariana, we aren't the people doing that."

"Really? And how am I supposed to believe you?"

"Because you should trust me!"

"So I should believe you after you let me gain your trust, have you lie to me, screw me over and make me feel like a complete idiot?"

"It's not us. It's vampires. The one that you saw in the woods. She's been going on a killing spree and gaining all these different vampires. We've been trying to stop her, but she's too underhanded. She's quick and she's leaving a trail of bodies from Portland to Vancouver. We're trying to stop her, not help her."

"I want to believe you, but I-I can't."

"Please try to." He pleaded. I shook my head and held back my tears.

"No, Jacob, I can't. I don't want to be part of this anymore. I want my normal life back again, as normal as it can be. I don't want to do this anymore. I'm gonna go back home and forget everything that's happened and everyone I met since I've come here. And I want you to do the same." I decided.

"What are you asking me to do?" His voice cracked, was Jacob Black crying?

"I want you to forget about me. Forget about my secret. Forget about everything that's happened between us."

"I can't do that." He shook his head.

"Yes you can."

"No, I can't." He disagreed.

"What possible reason could you have to not?" Jacob hesitated to speak.

"I can't do that, because you're my imprint." He finally said. I was silent for a second.

"What?" My brows furrowed. Imprint? What was he talking about? Jacob opened his mouth to speak, but he closed it before any words came out.

"It means…" he paused and looked down to the floor. He rubbed the back of his neck and gulped. He opened his mouth and said the most unexpected thing that could come out of his mouth at a moment like this. "I'm in love with you."


	18. The Werewolf Loved The Mermaid

**A/N: Hi guys! First of all, I want to thank every single one of you for getting me to (*drum roll please*) 100 reviews! I've never had so many before, It's like an all time record :] It made me super happy to see that this afternoon, and well, I just cant keep thanking you guys! So once again, thank you! Besides that, I'm sorry this chapter is shorter than normal, it's just that I wanted to cut it off at a certain point so the next chapter can be jammed backed with stuff! So I hope you enjoy this chapter though, I'm a sucker for romance and cheesy stuff like that. But still, everything's not gonna be alright in mermaid world. Enjoy! Xoxo – Elena**

_Chapter Eighteen_

_The Werewolf Loved The Mermaid_

_Chapter Song: Come Back When You Can by Barcelona_

**Previously on Ten Seconds Later:**

"_I want you to forget about me. Forget about my secret. Forget about everything that's happened between us." _

"_I can't do that." He shook his head._

"_Yes you can."_

"_No, I can't." He disagreed._

"_What possible reason could you have to not?" Jacob hesitated to speak._

"_I can't do that, because you're my imprint." He finally said. I was silent for a second._

"_What?" My brows furrowed. Imprint? What was he talking about? Jacob opened his mouth to speak, but he closed it before any words came out._

"_It means…" he paused and looked down to the floor. He rubbed the back of his neck and gulped. He opened his mouth and said the most unexpected thing that could come out of his mouth at a moment like this. "I'm in love with you."_

Everything in my body stopped. I quietly exhaled a breath I'd been holding. My body felt limp. Though my lips were parted, I stayed silent. His words echoed in my ears. _I'm in love with you._ He loved me. Jacob Black loved me. The werewolf loved the mermaid. It was like my brain wasn't processing the words he said. He couldn't have loved me; no one has ever loved me. Nate, Zane's obnoxious best friend, didn't count since he fell in love with every single girl he met. But Jacob, my boyfriend who I was in the middle of having a fight with over our relationship built out of lies, stood before me and admitted he loved me. How was this even possible? I wasn't dreaming, right? I couldn't even move to pinch myself; I was just in such a state of shock. Jacob wouldn't be lying about this, he couldn't be playing a game like this.

"Ariana, please say something." He spoke up first. What was I supposed to say? After all that's happen in the past few days, I was speechless. Words weren't coming to mind; it was possible I forgot how to speak.

"But we only met a few months ago." I quietly said, my brows furrowed and my face had stayed in the same position. Three or four months were not enough time to fall in love with somebody, was it? He was lying, he had to be.

"I know. It's kind of like a werewolf thing. Imprinting, it's just hard to explain. It's not exactly like love at first sight, but at the same time it is. It's more like…gravity moves and suddenly it's not the earth holding you here anymore. It's your imprint. That's why you're still living. You become whatever she needs you to be, whether that's a protector, lover, or a friend. No one knows why exactly it happens, but it does. It's finding your soul mate. Sam has Emily, Jared has Kim, Quil has Claire, Paul has my sister, and well, I have you." He paused running a hand through his hair.

"I didn't tell you just yet was because if you found out, I was afraid you would go around telling people. And one of us, I'm not saying me or even your brother, would get angry and try to hurt or kill you. It's happened before." He tensed.

"One of you would get that angry enough to kill me?" I feared. I was getting chocked up holding back my tears. My emotions were a mix of fear and sadness.

"We get set off by anger. And it's dangerous to be around us when we're angry. You've seen Emily's scar." He stated. I paused and thought for a moment.

"Oh my god." I clasped my hand over my mouth.

"Emily never accepted Sam. There was a girl named Leah, Emily's cousin, who was going out with Sam. One day he met Emily, and he immediately imprinted on her. But she felt bad for her cousin and kept rejecting him. So eventually he went to her house trying to win her back and she kept saying no, so he phased and hurt her face by accident."

"And she forgave him?" A tear slipped down.

"You see the ring on her finger, don't you?"

"How…I just…no, this can't be possible."

"I know it's a lot to handle. I didn't want to ever bring you into this."

"Jacob, I just don't know what to say." I pursed my lips and blinked a couple of times, getting the teardrops from my eyelashes.

"You don't have to say you love me back, I don't expect you too. Just please tell me the truth, do you believe me about everything I've told you?"

"I don't know what to believe anymore, Jacob." I squeezed my eyes shut, looking down to the floor.

"Believe me." He begged.

"I don't know. My hearts telling me to believe you but my head's reminding me that you lied."

"But I lied to protect you."

"You promise?" I wiped away another tear but for it to be useless when another one rolled down my cheek.

"I swear." He said. I took a deep breath in and nodded my head. And then, I began sobbing.

"Come here." Jacob put his arms out and walked towards me. I walked towards him and hugged him. After all that's happen in the past few days, I couldn't believe that I was embracing him, that I believed him. But something inside of me was overpowering that voice in my head repeating how he lied, it was saying to trust him and to be with him. Ever since the first day I met him I had butterflies in my stomach. Every time I looked at him, I felt like a different person. And when I told Rikki that I hated him a few nights ago, I knew I could _never_ hate him. I loved him.

"I never want to loose you." He told me. Once again, I felt safe in his warm arms.

"I love you, Ariana." It made my heart skip a few beats every time I heard those three words.

"I love you too." I whispered into his chest. His arms wrapped around me tighter, and somehow, I had a feeling he was smiling.

A couple of minutes later, I got myself together and Jacob wiped the tears away from my eyes. He cupped his hands around my cheeks and pulled me in for a kiss.

"Thank you for not telling them." I looked up to him.

"You're welcome. I figured you should tell them, even if that meant them locking me up in here."

"Being punished for hiding something important. Sam's such a hypocrite." I shook my head. "But, I told them." I sighed.

"It wasn't Sam who did it, it was…you told them?" He looked at me, surprised. I nodded.

"Yeah, I told the guys. But, I'm sure my brother heard."

"What are you gonna do?"

"Whatever I can do." I shrugged. We made our way up the stairs and I waited for Jacob to open the door. Instead, he looked at me.

"What?"

"They put wolfsbane on the door knob, if I touch it I'll get burned."

"So that's how they kept you in here." I raised a brow.

"Are you sure you want to face him with him knowing?"

"He already knows that I know his secret. I can't stay in this room forever. He's already pissed enough that I was missing for five days." I opened the door and let myself out first, then Jacob. Fearing the inevitable of Sam, I kept close to Jacob and my fists were balled. We walked into the kitchen and the first thing I saw was Embry, Quil, Paul, and Jared coming in through the sliding glass door, still shirtless. Sam's was turned away from me and Emily, who was facing me, was pouring herself a glass of water. When she noticed I was there, her face look up and she stared at me. The guys did too.

"Oh no." Jared said under his breath when they all saw Jacob. Paul looked nervous. My guess was that both of them locked him up. In the corner of my eye, I saw Jacob look at them like the traitors they were. I was debating on whether or not I should go run the other way before Sam turned around, but it was to late. He turned around.

"When were you planning on telling me this?" His voice rose, his body was shaking, his fist in balls. I froze, scared out of my mind for the billionth time today.

"Everyone outside. Now." He growled. No one moved, they contemplated in their heads whether or not to stay and defend me or to be on Sam's good side and not get their ass kicked for it later.

"Now!" He barked. Then the guys, and even Jacob, walked to the sliding glass door and went back outside where they came from.

"Emily, go with the guys." He demanded, his voice still so strong for him shaking so much.

"Sam. You need to calm down, she's just a kid." Emily said, in her calm and motherly tone. She put a hand on his shoulder, his shaking decreased. But that didn't make me any less scared. She made her way outside and shut the door, leaving Sam and me alone in a room. How could she leave me with him? How could Jacob leave me with him? I was dead, even more dead than I was when I came home. I had nothing on Sam now to get him to not kill me. I'm positive that this wasn't safe.

"A mermaid? You're a mermaid?" he yelled. I reluctantly nodded.

"Well, in my defense, you're a werewolf."

"We'll get to that later. We're not talking about me right now! How is this even possible?"

"I don't know, I guess the same reason you can use. Magic."

"How did this happen?" He growled. Why was he treating this like it was some kind of curse?

"Back home in Australia. There's an island there that we got stuck on."

"We?" His brows furrowed and he took a breath in. "There's more of you?" I nodded my head.

"Cleo, Emma, Rikki, and I."

"Your friends you were talking about." He shook his head and looked at the floor. "We stole our friend Zane's boat. And we ran out of gas a few miles off of Mako. We paddled there, and got onto land. Emma tried using her cell phone, but she couldn't get service. So we tried climbing to higher land and Cleo, she fell down a hole. So Emma, Rikki, and I went to go get her. Cleo sprained her ankle so she couldn't climb back up, and we realized it was to steep for us to get up. It turns out it was a cave. We followed it and it lead us to inside the dormant volcano. There was a pool there, Emma jumped in it to see if it lead out to the ocean since there was tidal rings coming in. She came back and said there was, so we all jumped in, but it turned out that Cleo couldn't swim. We eventually got her in the water, and when we did the moon pool started bubbling and some of the water started to float up and we saw the moon was exactly over the center of the volcano top. We ignore it and the water police found us when we swam out of the save. The next day we woke up and found out."

"How do you grow a, you know," Sam pointed to my legs.

"A tail? After we touch water, ten seconds later we grow our tails."

"And I'm assuming Jacob has known about this?"

"Yeah." I gulped.

"How long has he known?"

"Since you and Emily went away on vacation to Tacoma."

"Damn he's good. I can't believe he's hid that from us. For that long!"

"I asked him too. One person knowing was enough, I couldn't have another Denman situation, I couldn't go through with that again, Sam."

"Denman situation?" That's right, I never told him about it. God, today was going to be filled with a lot of explaining.

"Some scientist found out about us and tried to exploit us. I wasn't going to let that happen again."

"This is insane. Mermaids. My sisters a mermaid."

"My brothers a werewolf." I said. Sam sighed and put his hand to his forehead.

"I didn't want you to find out. I couldn't have let you. You might've gotten hurt like Emily. I forced them not to tell you. But how the hell did you find out?"

"I was running back home and I saw them change."

"Idiots." Sam said under his breath. "That was the night you left, wasn't it?" he cocked his head. He picked up Emily's glass of water behind him and took a small sip.

"Yeah." I bit my lip.

"You weren't in Seattle were you?"

"No" I sighed, "I wasn't."

"Where were you, Ariana?" Sam growled. His grasp on the glass tightened. _Please don't get mad; please don't get mad,_ I repeated in my head.

"Australia." I bit my lip.

"What?" He yelled, there was a shattering noise. Sam had held the glass so tight that it shattered in his hand into a million pieces. The water came pouring out, some splattering towards me. My immediate reaction was to put my hand up to heat the water up so it evaporated, but something else happened. It pooled into a ball in mid air, as if Cleo was doing it. But Cleo was back in Australia, and I was in America. I gasped and looked at the floating ball of water. I was terrified, and my face showed it. Sam looked confused and scared.

"Are you doing that?" His mouth was left open. I looked up to him with wide eyes.

"I'm not supposed to be." I shook my head, terrified. This wasn't my power. When I dropped my hand, the water ball dropped and sprayed Sam on his legs and shoes.

"How did you do that?" He demanded to know. I shook my head and looked at the pool of water on the floor.

"Sam, I'll be right back." I took off running towards the front door. I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and fumbled to dial Cleo.

"Ari! Get back here!" I ignored my brother's calls and ran into the forest, heading towards the beach.


	19. Like Charlotte

**A/N: Short chapter, I know :[ But next ones are gonna be good! Review please :] I love you all so very much! **

_Chapter Nineteen_

_Like Charlotte_

_Chapter Song: We Build Then We Break by The Fray_

How many bad things could happen this week? Let me rephrase that, how many bad things could happen this week that were going to scare the life out of me? I had to be dreaming, this was almost as unreal as the first time I discovered my powers. The forest was blurring past me as I ran as fast as I could towards the destination closer than the beach; a river a mile down from the house. Eventually, I got there and I stopped right in front of it. Taking a moment to catch my breath, I shakily looked down to the slow flowing water. I reached out my hand and once again, a water ball began to float in mid air. I dropped it and tried to calm my breathing down again. The last thing I needed was to start hyperventilating from the sudden stress. Then I noticed something. I held out my hand straight out and balled my fist. I squeezed my eyes shut and thought about boiling water and fire, all things hot. Slowly, inching my eyes open, I looked down to see the water bubbling with steam being let off from the surface. Then the thought occurred to me. If I had my power and Cleo's power…did I have Emma's? Once again, I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath and outstretched my hand, concentrating about cold and ice. When I opened my eyes, a frozen over river greeted me. Taking a breath in, I put a hand over my mouth. I couldn't believe my eyes; somehow I obtained all three powers. Just as I was about to pull my phone from my pocket, something dark blurred past me. I looked around and I heard rustling around me. There was no doubt there was something here. But the question was, was it the vampire? Before I knew it, I was on the ground with something on top of me. That something was a wolf, a very angry wolf. His teeth bared as he growled in my face, I gasped. He had death and anger written all over his abnormally large face.

"Jacob?" My eyes widened. He growled again. I looked at his eyes in fear. Jacob wouldn't be doing this. Who was the last person I got angry?

"Sam." I frowned. He looked pissed off. Then suddenly, another brown wolf tackled him away from me. Sam, still in his wolf form, tumbled a few yards away while the other wolf was close by me. I propped myself up on my elbows and looked at the other wolf, fearing who it was. He turned around and looked at me.

"Jake?" he walked over to me and nudged his head along my arm.

"Hey boy." I half smiled, petting him. I got up from my place on the ground and brushed my jeans, getting rid of the dirt that stuck to them. I looked down to my shirtless brother, who was now in human form. He groaned and shook it off.

"How many times are you going to run away this week?" Sam yelled getting up from the ground.

"I don't have time for this."

"What the hell was that back at the house?"

"I don't know! For once, I don't know." I hissed and dialed Cleo's number. I turned my back to Sam and pressed the phone to my ear.

"Can someone tell me what's going on?" I turned around to see a very human Jacob looking at us.

"She was controlling water!" Sam explained.

"You mean boiling?"

"Did you not just hear me say controlling? She had a water ball in the air. My glass broke and she was controlling it."

"What? I thought—" Jacob turned to me.

"I did too." I shook my head.

"Hello?" Cleo picked up.

"Cleo. I need—"

"Ariana! I was getting worried since we weren't hearing from you, how's everything?"

"We can talk about that later. We have a problem. Are you with anyone?"

"No, it's only seven thirty. We're getting ready for school."

"Add them and Lewis to the call." I begged. She hesitantly agreed to it and then called everyone until they were on the call with us.

"Cleo, what do you need? I'm studying for bio." Lewis nagged.

"Ari, go ahead."

"Ariana?" Rikki asked.

"How is everything?" Emma asked.

"Guys, there's something wrong." Looking around, I made sure there wasn't anyone around. I reached out my hand thinking about the water rising out of the river and sure enough, a water ball came out. Sam's mouth dropped, Jacob seemed surprised.

"What do you mean?"

"I've got all three powers. Not just Rikki and mines, Cleo and Emma's too."

"But that's..."

"Like Charlotte." Rikki finished Emma's sentence for her.

"When did you find this out?"

"Like not even five minutes ago. My brother broke a glass of water and I just controlled it! How the hell does that happen? I've always been able to heat up things and now, I can do everything!" I cried. Sam and Jacob watched me closely.

"That's impossible." Cleo said almost speechless. I dropped the water ball.

"I just finished holding a ball of water in the air, seems pretty possible to me."

"Wait a second girls, maybe it is possible. You said you woke up in the moon pool, right?" Lewis began.

"I was on the sand, yes."

"What if you somehow gained powers from that full moon? Like those special ones Mrs. Chatham always warns us about."

"Why would I regain them five—no, almost six days later?"

"Did you use your powers on the plane?"

"Of course not."

"You might have received them a few days ago, but you just didn't notice it."

"But I used them earlier…" I noticed.

"What were you doing?"

"Heating up metal."

"It was because you were concentrating in it." Lewis simply said.

"That still doest explain why I got them now…or as you said a few days ago."

"Think back to Denman. Your powers were only shortened out for twelve hours. And when you got your powers, it came into effect in that same amount of time. Maybe this just took a little longer."

"It's a little far fetched…" I sighed.

"He's right, Ari." Emma agreed.

"Yeah, for once in my life I can agree with the geek." Rikki laughed.

"Rikki, I swear." Lewis huffed.

"Oh come on Lewis, just a little joke."

"Whatever. Oh guys, I've got to go, Charlotte's here. You gonna be alright?"

"Yeah. I'll call you guys later if anything changes."

"Call us later even if things don't change. Is everything between you and well, everybody alright?"

"Not even close. Everybody knows."

"What? No…" Cleo gasped.

"You have some explaining to do." Rikki said.

"Don't remind me." I sighed. "I'll call you later." I added then hung up. I turned back to Jacob and Sam. They were silent. Sam had sat himself down on a boulder next to the river. Jacob looked at me.

"Must you listen in on my conversations?" I put my hand on my hip, talking to Sam.

"Explain what the hells going on." He demanded.

"As you've seen I have powers. Kind of like you're little werewolf thing, oh and that reminds me, thanks for that whole scene back there ten minutes ago, really appreciated."

"Powers? What the—how much weirder can this get?"

"Sorry I'm not half werewolf. My bad on that part." Sam was pissing me off. I wanted to leave; I didn't like him being involved with my issues. It was weird; he acted like our dad in some cases…or an overly protective and obnoxious big brother.

"I'm not complaining because of that. It's just freaky."

"Freaky? Oh really? Yeah Sam, you're right. This is much more freaky that finding out everyone I know is some mythological creature, somehow waking up in another continent, flying back 'home' to find your boyfriend locked up in your study room and then after all that, facing you and your friends…with you guys being werewolves."

"But you've got a tail and powers!"

"Do you have a problem with fish?" I put my hands on my hips.

"Are you naturally this moody or is it since you've got a power change or whatever?" Sam wondered. I chocked on a laugh, annoyed at him. Forming my smile as a line, I shook my head.

"I'm done." I walked away.

"Where do you think you're going this time?"

"The house. And if you need me, I'll be in my room. But do me a favor and don't need me."

"But Ari." Sam began.

"Not in the mood, Sam." I yelled as I stomped off.

Afterwards, I felt bad. Not for getting pissed off at Sam, but for leaving Jacob there with my brother. Sam deserved what he was getting. After storming off on them two hours ago, the second I reached the house I crawled into bed. And I stayed there listening to sappy and depressing Maroon 5 and The Fray songs, staring at my walls, and controlling water out of the glass next to my bedside. All things normal girls did when they were depressed…minus the controlling water part. Every so often, like for instance right now, I'd practice pulling water from the glass with m power. I'd just let it hover while it continued to flow out of the glass. Where was all this extra water coming from? Suddenly, there was a light knock at my door, but I didn't bother taking my attention away from the glass or even answering it. The door creaked open and in my peripheral vision, I could see a head peak in.

"Hey, can I come in?" Emily's voice asked.

"Sure." I answered quietly. She stopped the second she got into the room/

"Oh wow, I'm not gonna get used to that." She bit her lip, I dropped the water back into the cup.

"You didn't have to stop." She sat down on the bed beside me.

"I probably should."

"So, Sam tells me you guy had a fight."

"No offense Em, I'd rather not talk about it."

"Fine, then we can talk about how big of a jerk Sam is." She smiled. Obviously there's no way around this conversation. I sighed and sat myself up from my previous position of lying on my side with part of my face smacked against the pillow.

"I'm taking it as Sam told you everything."

"He didn't have to, I heard it."

"Great, one more person too add to the list."

"If your worrying about me telling anyone, you're waisting your time. I've kept the guys secret for three and a half years now." There was a long paused of silence.

"How do you do it?" I finally asked.

"How do I do what?"

"Keep the secrets and the lies? All I wanted for the longest time was somebody like Jacob to know my secret: somebody that I could have a relationship with and he would be protective, and he would accept me for who I am. But I thought with the more people close to you knowing the better, it would get easier. But it's not, Em. It's just weird. I don't want my brother knowing my secret; it's like having my dad knowing. He's to overprotective and I know that he promised my mom to watch over me, but this is to much. Yeah, he needs some time taking it all in, vice versa for me."

"You think Sam's trying to act like your dad." She realized. I nodded.

"He can't replace my father in this respect. He's my step-brother, he should just calm down…or forget everything that happened today."

"Ariana, I know that Sam can be way over protective at times but give him a little while to adjust. He'll think its normal in a few days."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Hey, I've got an idea, why don't we go bake up some cookies to get your mind off it?"'

"That sounds like a delicious idea." I smiled, getting out of bed and walking to the kitchen with Emily.


	20. Keeping Distances

**A/N: Hi guys! I'm back! Sorry it took a while for me to update. Lots of tests, lack of inspiration, and busy stuff. But anywhoo, I'm here. So, how are you guys? I hope you enjoy this chapter! Next one should be up fairly soon. Depends on reviews though :] But knowing you guys, I'll have a lot of them! And that's why I love you. And since I love you so much, wanna do me a favor and check out my other h2o story? It's severely lacking reviews -.- It's called Just One Drop. If you guys do review it, I'll love you forever and ever and ever. Anyways since this message isn't that important, here's the next chapter! Oh, and if anyone wants to give me ideas for future chapters, shoot away. I need more inspiration and ideas! THANKS :D **

_Chapter Twenty:_

_Keeping Distances_

_Chapter Song: Rumor Has It by Adele_

I've been distant from everyone the past few days. It's been awkward. Like, real awkward. It wasn't the kind of awkward when you don't know what to say in the small talk of the conversation, but it was more like when you just looked at the person and you couldn't even fake a smile or say a word. That kind of awkward. And in this case, that person was Sam and the other guys, minus Jacob. Jacob and I had been perfectly fine ever since he admitted that he loved me. I still couldn't get over that, my heart would beat a little faster every time I thought of that moment. I knew I sounded like some love struck little girl, but I couldn't help it, my gorgeous werewolf boyfriend was in love with me. It sounded like one of those sappy romance movies, but hey, my life was a living story that fiction writers would kill for. Moving on from my thoughts of my saga of a life, I kicked off the covers of my bed and gathered some clothes and went into the bathroom for a quick bath.

Okay, maybe it wasn't so quick. I spent an hour in there and I figuratively and literally had to pull myself out of there. After steam drying myself off, I pulled on some jeans and a black long sleeved shirt then proceeded my way downstairs.

"Em? Sam?" I called. Turning on the downstairs lights, I realized I was alone. I made my way into the kitchen and pulled out a glass from the cupboard. Before I opened the fridge door, I spotted a note taped to it. It was from Sam. It read that the guys were out for the day and Emily was at someone named the Clearwater's. And it has a P.S under it. It said 'I know you're still not exactly on the best of terms with me, but I'm sorry'. I was shocked. Absolutely and positively shocked. Sam had just said sorry. Not once, the whole time I was here, had he said a meaningful sorry. Wow, where was the real Sam and who left this note? Leaving it and opening the fridge, I took out some orange juice and poured it into my glass. Taking some sips from it, I looked out onto the kitchen trying to think of where Sam and the guys went. My first guess was going to be doing their almost daily search for the red headed vampire. There was a knock on the door, and I went to go get it. Walking around the kitchen, I placed my drink on the counter closest to the living room. I walked to the front door and opened it, only for the cold air to whip right at me.

"Uley residence?" The man in a brown FedEx uniform asked me.

"Yeah."

"Please sign here." He gave me a paper with a lot of typed information on it. I signed my name without reading it and he handed me a small package.

"Have a nice day." I gave the man a friendly smile and shut the door behind me. I was about to put the package down on the living room table, but I noticed the package was addressed to me. I walked back into the kitchen and placed the package next to my glass of juice. Taking a letter knife that conveniently was next to me, I cut open the package and found an on top of. I ripped it open and looked at the letter that was contained inside.

_Ariana,_

_I know we didn't call about this, we knew that you've been having a rough time the past few days. But we didn't want any traces of this on texts, emails, or voicemail. You must be thinking 'what is this?' but it's a few important things we well, stole from Charlotte. Yeah, yeah, we stole them, but we had to. The first thing in here is a glass of Sirgrebma. Lewis says it's the opposite of Ambergris, the stuff that made us fall in love with any guy that was wearing the perfume…even though it smells terrible. Sirgrebma makes guys fall in love with whoever is wearing it. The second thing is a locket. It's Charlottes. She found one just like ours, we don't know how, but she did. We all decided she can't have it. It's so close to ours. So Rikki stole it from her without her knowing. It also has some linking to the moon pool, we don't know but it can control it's powers or something like that. Apparently the gem on top is something called moonstone. It has powers connected with the moon pool. And knowing Charlotte, she'll use it for bad things. We're sure that she'll figure it out any second and come to us first looking for it, but it's better off you have it so she can't find it. The last thing in there, is proof of all of us swimming. I guess when you came to visit last time, she was secretly watching us and she took a picture. We didn't know what to do with it. We're afraid if we burn it here, someone will see us and get suspicious, or if we hide it, someone will find it. Anyways, call us when you get it. We hope everything's okay there._

_Love,_

_Cleo, Emma, Rikki, and Zane_

I crumpled the note up and put it on the counter. I peaked into the box to see everything that they said would be in there, in there. First, I picked up the tiny glass vial and unscrewed the black top. I lifted the vial up to my nose and gave a face of repulsion, as I smelled the liquid. It smelled overly sweet and sickening, extremely overwhelming. As quick as I opened it, I closed it and put it back in the box. Now, grabbing the necklace by its chain, I lifted it out of the box. It looked similar to ours. It was silver with a gem on top. But on the surface of the locket was a strange design. I wonder if it had a symbolic meaning, if it did, it had to do something with controlling the moon pool. I dropped the necklace back into the box and looked at the picture that Charlotte took of us. It was plain as day that it was us, you could see our faces perfectly. Taking the picture with me, I walked outside and to the fire pit in the backyard. I threw the picture in and then clenched my fist over the rocks and wood chips. In seconds, a flame appeared and then it grew until everything in it was ablaze. The picture was destroyed. I stopped the fire with a movement of my hand and watch bits of smoke rise and disappear into the air. Walking back inside, I closed the door behind me and took myself over to the box. I closed it and taped it up with some scotch. I grabbed the letter knife and put it back where it was placed before. As I was about to walk back up to my room, I spotted something next to the knife. A letter. But the letter wasn't what caught my eye. It was the black writing I could see inside the envelope. I could see the letters 'Aria' written in black script. Aria...meaning Ariana. The envelope had already been opened by what presumed to me was by Sam. I picked it up and turned the crisp white envelope over. It was addressed to Sam. Carefully taking the paper out and not ripping it, I opened the letter and read the perfect black script.

_Dear Sam,_

_First of all, do not worry; I had Bella deliver this note early this morning. As you can see, we have not been on your land. Anyways, this letter is not pertaining to the treaty at the moment. It has to deal with who Edward and Alice say is your half sister, Ariana. There has been word of her running into Victoria. I'd like to have a conversation concerning her with the pack and my family. Please don't bring her along if you will, Sam. You know my number, call me when you get this._

_Thank you,_

_Carlisle Cullen._

Carlisle Cullen. He was their father? And why the hell did they want to talk about me? How did I have to do anything with them? The Cullen's knew about the pack? Jeez, there were so many questions. Jacob had said that they weren't aloud to tell anyone about them being werewolves, but somehow the Cullen's knew. This pissed me off. A lot.

I had been so pissed off that the Cullen's knew the secret that I went for a walk. I had just grabbed a jacket and put on my favorite pair of slouch boots and I headed for town. But I didn't end up there, I ended up walking through the forest, but it was a different one then the one in La Push. While walking through the forest, I heard rustling of leaves. Not this again. I could already tell that this was going to be Sam, who was going to yell at me for walking in the forest again. He had did this the other day, and it was beginning to piss me off.

"Sam, I know it's you. You don't have to make some lame attempt to scare me." I put my hands on my hips. I heard leaves crunch and a small wind blew past me.

"Sam?" I called once more, expecting him to pop out from behind the brush. When there was no answer, I began to think this wasn't my brother making another attempt.

"Jacob?" I called. My voice faded along in the wind. Maybe Sam was making him teach me a lesson this time thinking that it be implanted in my brain a little more. But no, Jacob wasn't there to scare me either. The movement and rustling stopped and ceased to continue.

"Ariana?" A high-strung voice called from behind me. I gasped and snapped myself around to find the pale Cullen siblings standing there.

"Were you just," I threw my finger over my back, pointing to the other side, "there and then, uh, just, never mind." I sighed.

"What are you doing here?" The pixie like girl asked me.

"I could ask you the same thing." I crossed my arms over my chest, being extremely unfriendly to them.

"We were taking a hike. And you?" Edward asked.

"Same." I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Weird, I feel like we keep running into you in the forest." The big and burly one who I thinks name was Emmett smiled.

"Likewise." I raised a brow.

"So what are you really doing here?" The gorgeous blonde asked.

"Told you, needed a break so I took a walk. Problem?"

"Now that you ask—" She began with anger in her voice.

"Watch it Blondie." I smirked.

"Rosalie, cool it." Edward turned to her then looked at Jasper. She gave me a death glare and growled through her teeth.

"Right anyways, as much as this conversation fascinates me, I'll be going." I rolled my eyes and began to walk away. I stopped myself.

"Before I go, how do you guys know about the pack?" I turned around and asked them. Everyone had different expressions on their face. Edward's was a mix of shock and surprise while Alice's face went blank. Jasper continued with his unreadable expression and Emmett didn't looked surprised what so ever, then we got to Rosalie, who looked pissed off, as usual. So there really wasn't a change with her expression.

"You know?" Alice broke the silence between the group and I.

"She read the letter Carlisle wrote." Rosalie thought.

"Yes and yes." I answered.

"But how?" Alice asked.

"Did they tell you everything?" Jasper piped up.

"Sort of." I shrugged.

"Damn mutts!" Emmett punched the tree next to him. It broke in half and fell to the ground.

"How did you do that?" I mean, Emmett was strong but not strong enough to take down a tree with just one punch. Before I could even blink, I felt my back hit something hard. When my brain registered what was going on, I realized I was being pinned against a tree by the pissed off blonde. A mixture of yells from her siblings erupted yelling at her to 'stop' and 'no'.

"What the—" I whispered only to be cut off by the blonde holding me tightly. Her once beautiful golden eyes that I envied turned black.

"Listen brat, you know way to much. I don't know exactly what the pack told you about us, but they're sure not telling us about you." She growled, fangs descending from where her eyeteeth should be.

"You're a vampire?" I looked at her, stunned at the scene. Her grip on me lessened. When she closed her mouth and re opened it, her fangs had disappeared.

"You mean..." Emmett began.

"You didn't know?" Edward asked.

"You said they told you everything!" Rosalie yelled.

"About them! What the hell are you talking about?"

"Rose…" Emmett's voice faded.

"What. Have. You. Done." Edward was freaked. Even on his always-unreadable expression, you could tell.

"Well, _now_ she knows too much. Besides, you know what we are, now we need to know what you are." She smirked.

"Excuse me? What are you talking about?" I cried to her.

"Edward can't read your thoughts and your blood smells different. Don't lie. We're either going to do this the easy way or the hard way." She gritted through her fake smile.

"Rosie, come on. You're already saying to much." Alice hesitated. I opened my mouth to speak but I just shook my head, hiding my secret.

"Fine, then I guess it's the hard way." She opened her mouth, showing her fangs again. Quickly thinking like I had when the red headed vampire was about to bite me, I motioned a burst of wind with my hand. It sent Rosalie flying backwards. She hit the ground hard, and it was possible she even made a dent in the forest floor. Before she could stand up, my anger over took me and I thought of the first thing that could kill a vampire besides wood…fire. I imagined in my mind a circle of fire enclosing the blonde vampire, and before I knew it, it was there. I had just started a fire with my mind. I didn't even have to use my hand. I didn't know we could do that! She screamed and jumped up. Every time she got near the fire, it would raise higher so she couldn't jump over. In my mind I kept yelling at myself that I was better than this and to stop, but I felt like I was in some kind of trance that was making me feel angry. Almost like I was evil. Evil, but I liked it.

"What the hell! Someone kill her and put this thing out!" Rosalie screeched to her family. The looked at each other helplessly, not knowing what to do. I looked at her and the fire grew stronger. The more she opened her mouth the more angry I'd get.

"Ariana, please stop! For us!" Alice called. None of them dared to get near me. That was, until I was Emmett run up to me at his super fast speed. He was about to grab me until he was pushed away by someone else. That someone else being Jacob.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He yelled.

"Make your imprint stop whatever she's doing!" Edward demanded.

"Ariana, stop, it's alright I'm here now." I heard him say. But he sounded very far away. The trance I was in with Rosalie was getting deeper and deeper to the point where my body was just a shell and my mind was in other places.

"Ariana!" The trance broke when Jacob's warm hands grasped my arms. Coming down to earth was a hit hard over the head. It was one of the strangest feelings I've ever gone through, minus my feet forming into a tail of course. I shook my head and blinked my eyes a few times, shaking the feeling off. The second I came out of my trance, the fire had died. Rosalie, with her quick speed, ran over to Emmett and embraced him.

"What just happened?" I asked.

"You didn't…" Jacob didn't finish his sentence. He, along with the Cullen clan, didn't know what to say.

"So, you're a witch?" Emmett cocked his head.

"Oh, so now there's witches too?" I looked at the family, who now seemed more confused then ever. Great, vampires, werewolf's, mermaids, and now witches. What was next, ghosts? Probably. Because the last time I said that, it came true.

"We've seen a few in our day." Jasper said quietly.

"So if you're not a witch, what are you?"

"Is nobody addressing the fact of what just happened? Thanks for almost killing me!" Rosalie yelled. I almost killed Rosalie? All I wanted to do was to make sure she wasn't going to hurt me. Did I go that far?

"Oh my God, I didn't—I…"

"I'm listening." She frowned.

"Rosalie, now's not the time." Edward turned to her.

"Yeah, let's just ignore the fact that she almost killed me. Moving on, not a big deal at all." She threw her hands up in the air in exaggeration.

"If you're not a witch, what are?" Alice repeated.

"She doesn't have to tell you anything. Did we not already deal with that this morning?" Jacob told them with hate in his voice.

"Listen Mutt..." Edward stepped forward.

"No you listen blood sucker, I—"

"No Jacob, it's fine. I'll tell them." I paused, he looked at me with an expression that was almost defined as hurt. His eyebrows pushed together and I could read what he was thinking, why are you doing this? But I proceeded. "I'd love to tell you otherwise since you don't believe me, but I'm telling the truth, I'm human."

"Not by the looks of the events that happened a few minutes ago. Explain whatever you just did to Rosalie then." Jasper crossed his arms.

"I wish I knew. I don't know. After an accident, I just woke up one day with them."

"Accident? What kind of accident?" Emmett asked.

"Do you guys just want to know my whole life story or something?"

"It was an accident I had with my friends on this island back in Australia. Our boat crashed and we landed there for the night. Passed out and woke up the next morning with them."

"There's more of you?"

"I'm the only one."

"This sounds awfully suspicious to me." Rosalie mused.

"Fine. Then go buy a plane ticket and check it out yourself because I'm done explaining to you." Being sick and tired of this conversation, I walked away.

"Aren't you going to say sorry or something for killing me?" Rosalie called after me. I stopped and turned around.

"You've been around for a long time, I'm sure you know how it works." I said without an expression on my face. I walked away. I didn't register what he was saying, but I heard Jacob exchange a few words with the Cullens only for them to retort saying back, but then I could hear his footsteps behind me.

"Ariana, wait." Jacob pulled me back.

"What?" I turned around.

"What happened back there?"

"I don't know Jacob, I just, I don't know." I shook my head.

"What'd she do to you?"

"Nothing important. I'll tell you later." I shook my head and began to walk away.

"Ari, what's going on. You know you can tell me."

"Jacob, I'm tired. Later."

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"For a swim. I need to get my mind off things and have some alone time. I'll be back in an hour or two." I walked out of the forest and onto the sand of the beach.

"Ariana, wait." Jacob said softly. I didn't listen, I wanted to be alone. I continued to talk onto the sand until I got to the shoreline.

"Ariana, come on." Jacob called. I didn't stop once. I felt the water enter my sneakers and soak my jeans. Nine and a half seconds later, I dove under and swam off to who knows where.


	21. When It's Going Good It's Going Great

**A/N: well…hi…guys. Please don't kill me! I'm sorry this took a month and x amount of days to get uploaded! I'm killing myself for it -.- I just finished exams and now I'm on winter break (hurray!) so now there will be much more uploads. Exams have been killing me for the past 2-3 weeks with cramming and such so I had no time to write. I mean, I did a little bit for my other stories but not much. But HI I'M BACK! I just want to say I love you all for sticking with me and I will never give up on this story. I've noticed a lot of my storys listed as favorites have gone on hiatus and I received so many emails and chapter updates saying "this is going on hiatus I have writers block blah blah blah, school work, blah blah blah, next chapter up in the new year" I thought about that and I would never do that to you guys! I just wanna say thank you again. Love you and please review (it gives me inspiration lol)**

Chapter Twenty-One

When It's Good It's Going Great

Chapter Song: Hands Of Time by Rachel Diggs

Sitting in my room alone doing this weeks assigned homework, I looked down to the note book page with very little writing on it only for me to sigh in defeat, not being able to do anymore. It was way to boring. And thankfully, my phone rang, giving me a distraction to force me away from the work that had been awaiting me the past forty-five minutes.

"Hey Em." I picked it up seeing that the caller ID read 'Emma Gilbert'.

"Ari, Cleo's missing." Emma said seriously.

"What?"

"She never came home last night. She's no where to be found, we've looked everywhere.

"Moonpool? Mako? Anywhere?"

"Yeah, yeah, we checked all of that. We can't find her."

"I don't get it, why would she go missing? What if she got kidnapped?"

"We're almost positive she didn't get kidnapped."

"How do you know? Did she leave any signs?"

"No calls to us or her dad or Kim, just to Lewis saying how disappointed she was in him. He let us hear the message, she was in tears. And her dad said that she ran out of the house crying because she didn't want to do the dishes."

"What are you gonna do?"

"Lewis went out to look for her. We hope he finds her."

"Yeah, I do too."

"Ugh God Ariana, we don't know what to do. What if we don't find her? We don't even know what caused all of this. She's not the one to run away."

"Think about it, I'll give you one guess." I said, noticing why Cleo probably had run.

"Charolette." Emma hissed.

"You got it."

"That little snake. I'll go get Rikki, were gonna go see what she did."

"You know where to find her—anywhere Lewis is. Good luck finding Cleo. I'll give her a call too."

"Alright. Talk to you later."

"Please call me with an update." I said before she was about to hang up.

"Okay. See—"

"Wait, Emma." I stopped her.

"Yeah?"

"You haven't heard from Lewis in a while, right? I've been trying to call him for the past few days and his phones been off. I really need to talk to him."

"No, I haven't. None of us have. What's going on?"

"I can't exactly explain it right now, but if you see him, tell him to call me." She agreed and hung up. I couldn't only continue to think where Cleo was. Is she wasn't at the moon pool or Mako, had she actually ran? What if she was on her way here? She wouldn't do that. It was Cleo for Christ sake! She wouldn't last it out there for five minutes. Getting up, I walked over to my mirror and looked at myself thoroughly. My hair looked a mess and I needed to get changed out of these pajamas already. I began brushing my hair and putting it up into a ponytail.

"Hey." Jacob sashayed into the room eyeing my appearance. "Cute pajamas." He joked.

"Yeah, yeah, I know I look terrible, getting off that subject." I sighed.

"No, you look beautiful as always." He smirked. I put the brush down on the table and walked over to him.

"Well thank you for being a very good boyfriend and a very good liar." I smiled then gave him a long good morning kiss. I couldn't help but thank God for brushing my teeth after breakfast this morning.

"Well good morning to you too." He said with a smile growing by the second.

"When'd you get here?"

"A few minutes ago. I'm surprised you didn't hear us downstairs."

"Sorry I was kind of…never mind. Anyways, what's on the agenda today?" I said pulling away and walking over to my dresser to go pull out some warm clothes. Winter had finally rolled in and it was cold. Really, really cold. But it still continued to rain. Not snow, just rain. But by the looks of the sky the snowing weather was just about to roll in.

"Spending the whole rest of the day with you, which means, what would you like to do?"

"I'd rather not stay here since Sam's still not exactly on the best of terms with me, so anywhere but here's good."

"To cold for a swim?" He wondered.

"No, my body temperature is warmer since my original power was heating things up. I know it's weird, but might be for you."

"My body temperature is 108. So no, don't worry about me. It comes with being a werewolf."

"No wonder you're so hot." Always, whenever I was either holding hands with him or close to him, Jacob felt way to hot. Well, now I know why.

"Thank you." He smirked.

"Don't get cocky." I warned him.

"Excuse me." he said with a laugh.

"Whatever, whatever, I'm going to go get changed so stay here and I'll be out in a sec." Going over to one of my dressers, I grabbed a pair of jeans and a long sleeved shirt then made my way over to the bathroom so I could change.

Ten minutes later I walked out fully dressed, hair brushed, make up slightly on, and teeth brushed. When I walked back into my room, I found Jacob sitting on the exact same spot he had earlier on my bed, but this time he was holding something in his lap. A box. And in his hand was a tiny perfume bottle. Then it hit me. That was the Sirgrebma the girls had sent me.

"Don't open that!" I yelled. Jacob's head snapped up.

"What is this?"

"That was underneath my bed, right?"

"It was kind of sticking out a little bit but basically, yeah."

"Oh my God, Jacob you can never open that."

"What is all this stuff? A locket? Some perfume? Care to explain?"

"You're acting like Sam," I groaned, "but it's not mine. My friends sent it to me. Remember the girl I said's name was Charlotte? This is all her stuff that they stole from her. It was way to dangerous for anyone to have it so they shipped it here for me to hide it." Jacob looked at me blankly.

"It's perfume…and a necklace." His blank stare continued.

"It's called makes anyone fall in love with a mermaid. And she's been trying to use it on my friend Lewis, but it washed off when they went swimming and he broke out of the 'spell' that it puts on him. There's another thing called Ambergris that makes any mermaid fall in love with you. But it smells like a dead whale."

"And the necklace?" He asked as I walked over to him, picked up the necklace, examining it then putting it down back in the box.

"See how mine has a gem at the top of it? Hers has a moonstone gem on the top and on the front of it. The moon stone gem has something to do with controlling the pool we changed in and her powers. Something like that. So my friends had to get it away so she could never get ahold of it again. There, story explained." I said, Jacob put the box aside.

"So if I were to use that Sirgrebma-whatever on me, I'd fall in love with you?"

"Either you fall in love with the first mermaid you see or if said mermaid used it on herself, you'd fall in love with her."

"Well that wouldn't change a thing because I already love you." He smiled, pulling me onto my bed, rolling onto of me, and kissing me. Our make out session lasted a few minutes until we heard a coughing, trying to get our attention, at the door. Both our heads snapped up to see Sam standing there awkwardly. It was like getting caught by my dad, it was just as awkward as that. When Jacob realized he was still on top of me, he scurried off and sat beside me like a child waiting to be punished.

"We're going out, we need you." Sam said with a straight face. His glimpse caught my eye for a split second, but I looked down to the floor with my reddened cheeks.

"Fine." Jacob plainly said, getting up from my bed, letting our hands go. I sat still on my bed until they walked out.

"Nothing like you and Emily haven't done." Jacob whispered to him.

"She's my sister." Sam retorted.

"You're sure not acting like it." Jacob finished off. It was silence from there on. I listened to the conversations held between the six boys downstairs, I could barely hear them but Sam kept telling them that they had some major 'patrolling' to do and they needed to spread out. That's all I heard, so I went downstairs to figure out more. Emily was my key in this. And I found her exactly the first place I thought of, the kitchen. And of course, she was baking…her favorite thing to do.

"Hey sweetie." She said, piping light pink frosting onto a vanilla flavored cupcake.

"Hey." I greeted, sitting down on one of the bar stools.

"Want a cupcake?" She offered, handing me one. I took it.

"Thanks." I took a bite from it.

"Any chance you know where they might be going?" I asked once I finished my chewing.

"I figured you would ask that," she smiled, "they went out trying to find that vampire again. She was spotted close by."

"Oh." Was all I could say. "Hey, Em?"

"Yeah?"

"How do you do it? The way they go out and you just say goodbye like they're going off on a normal workday. Aren't you afraid they can get hurt?"

"Of course I'm afraid. God, I get so scared sometimes it's ridiculous. But I basically sit myself down and pray to God that he'll be with them so they all can be safe. Believe me, it makes me terrified to think that one of them might come back injured or not come back at all. One time Sam came back with a torn up shoulder. I was so scared he wasn't going to make it because of so much blood loss, but he did. And for that, every day I thank God for it. And I bet you're pretty concerned about Jacob, am I right?"

"Spot on." I said with a forced smile.

"You'll get used to it. I promise. It'll be like a daily routine. Hopefully, after this vampire's gone, we'll be mostly done with this whole war thing. And by the looks of it, you'll be around for a long time."

"Hope so. As much as I'd love to move back to Australia to be with my friends, I still hope so."

"You love him, don't you?" She looked at me like she already knew the answer. It was hard answering this because well, I was just a kid, I didn't know who I loved. I was reckless and I haven't ever had a boyfriend before. But the feelings I got when I was around him, I felt like I was on a love high. It was easy saying 'I love you too' to someone who said it first, but if someone asked me if I loved someone, it was hard to say. But when it came to Jacob, I easily knew my answer. I nodded my head, answering Emily's question. She wasn't surprised but she still held a smile on her face.

"I had the same feeling a few months after I began dating Sam. It was the biggest rollercoaster feeling of life." She laughed.

"It feels different. I just, you're normal, and you're human. I'm a fish; I was normal once but I never thought someone could love while I was like this. I thought I was such a freak." I laughed.

"As you can see so many people already accept and love you, mermaid or not. And in this town, it's not a big deal. It feels like being humans the weirdest thing." She shrugged, I laughed.

"Thanks Em, for making me feel better. It means a lot. This' been on my mind for a while."

"No problem, kiddo. It's the least I can do. I know exactly what it feels like to be the new girl in this."

"Sam isn't still mad at me about hiding this from him, right? I feel like it's awkward between us."

"Hey, it's a brother-sister fight, he's not exactly getting into it with me. But from what he said, he's not angry with you. He's angry with himself."

"If you say so."

"Really? Uh huh. Alright. Okay. That sounds good. Yeah, I understand, I'll call you later." I assured Lewis two days later.

"Here's the girls." He said handing the phone over to my far away friends. I heard him tell Rikki and Emma that he was going to go downstairs to get some food and he would be right back.

"Hey." Rikki was the first one to speak.

"Lewis never said anything about Cleo. Any news?"

"Hey, Ari." Cleo's voice quietly appeared on the other line.

"Oh my God, Cleo. You had me so worried."

"Yeah, apparently a lot of people were." She giggled.

"Would someone mind telling me what happened?"

"My stress took the best of me and I saw some disbelieving things with Lewis and Charlotte so it made me go overboard."

"Where were you?

"Mako, miles and miles in the middle of the ocean, everywhere."

"I thought you checked Mako?"

"The girls really good at playing hide and seek." Said Rikki.

"Oh God, Cleo, I'm so glad you're okay!"

"We are too." Emma interjected.

"Anyways, I forgot I had to ask you from my conversation with Lewis, has that ever happened to you guys?"

"Has what happen to us? Sorry, we just walked in the room, we figured something was going on since you were on the phone with Lewis. Or maybe you were just wondering where Cleo was."

"Okay, have you ever gotten so angry at a person that while you were using your powers you zoned out?"

"No." Cleo answered.

"No." Emma replied with confusion in her voice.

"No. Not unless it's a full moon." Rikki said last.

"What exactly happened?" Cleo wondered.

"You guys can't tell anyone else about this though."

"We've kept enough secrets to agree on that." Rikki declared.

"I was walking in the woods and then out of no where these people that go to my school popped out and it turns out they're vampires. So they were like confronting me saying that they knew I was different and one of the girls got sick of me lying and she attacked me but I used my powers so she got thrown against a tree and then I set like a ring of fire around her so she couldn't get out. And I didn't really realize I was doing it, I mean I did but I was enjoying it. And apparently I was in some kind of trance until Jacob shook me out of it."

"Oh my God, do they know?" Emma freaked.

"No! That's not even the point, Emma" I paused for a moment, "sorry, that was harsh. They don't know, they think I've only got powers and that's it. They thought I was a witch. Did you guys know that there were witches too? We're not alone in this obviously as I've discovered for the past few months."

"Okay that's just insane. That's never happened to any of us." We all went silent.

"What if it happens to Charlotte?" Cleo brought up.

"No, I'm nothing like that psychotic bitch." I hissed.

"We never said you were. But look at the big picture, you and her now have the same powers. That never happened before until these new powers were acquired."

"Ugh no, it can't be." I moaned, not believing I was one bit like Charlotte.

"Would you guys mind asking her for me? I mean I know it's a lot to ask and I completely understand if you don't want to do it…I wouldn't."

"Well, we would but…she's been gone for the past few days."

"What?"

"Lewis told her off and broke up with her for Cleo and she hasn't been in school for the past few days. We went to her house but her grandmother said she left town to go visit a friend." Emma explained.

"Ew, Charlotte's to much of a freak to have friends." Rikki sneered.

"Um, agreed. But hey, at least she's out of the picture for you guys. Wait a second—oh my God, Cleo, you guys are back together now? Congrats!" I squealed.

"Thank you." She happily spoke.

"Hey, Ariana, we're leaving for our party now, you sure you don't want to go?" Emily popped her head in. I held the phone away from my ear so the girls didn't get confused with me talking to them. Emily was dressed nicely in some nicely put together red dress and black blazer. In her hands, she held a plate covered with plastic wrap, inside you could find freshly baked goods.

"No thanks Em, you guys have fun though!"

"Thanks sweetie. We'll see you later, ok? Sam said Jacob's going to be here in a few minutes, you okay waiting up for him?"

"He's my boyfriend Emily, not my babysitter." I laughed.

"Fine, fine. Don't mind me." Emily held her hands up as if she had been caught red handed. She gave me one last quick smile then left the room and eventually, I could here them leave the house to go to the car.

"So, you and Jacob, how are you guys doing?" Emma brought up.

"Perfect. Perfectly perfect."

"Oh really?"

"Guys, I love him. I know you must think I'm rushing things, but, I really do. He's my first boyfriend I've ever had and I fell in love with him."

"What if he doesn't love you back?" Cleo asked.

"He does. He told me, and it means the world to me. It's this thing that werewolves have, it's called imprinting. They find one specific person that they're attracted to and they can't help it, but they instantly fall in love with her. It's so weird but at the same time it makes me so happy to know that someone actually loves me."

"Aww!" All three girls gushed at the story.

"Wow, your boyfriend's a werewolf, you're a mermaid, so are your best friends, and your enemies are vampires. This is one messed up world we live in." Rikki chuckled.

"Agreed to that."

"You guys are gonna have really weird kids." Even with not being with her right now, I could tell Rikki had that smug grin she held on her face at times like these.

"You're hilarious," I said with barely any emotion, "anyways, Jake's going to be here in a minute. I'll talk to you guys later, alright?"

"Okay. Talk to you soon!" They all said their farewells and I got off the phone. After the call had ended, I checked the time on my phone. It was a quarter to five but looking out the window would be deceiving. It was grey and cloudy with the sunshine making failed attempts to peak through. So, it was the usual. Making my way downstairs, I went over the conversation I had with the girls. Everything was going great! Cleo wasn't missing anymore, she and Lewis were back together, Jacob and I were completely and irrevocably in love, my secret wasn't being bothered right now, and we were all safe. For the first time in a while, I felt like everything was slowly getting back to normal. I wasn't dying to cover up my secret, I wasn't being tracked by Denman and her people, and I wasn't in a fight with anyone I love…well, Sam didn't count. We just aren't on talking terms yet. But I wasn't going to let him ruin this perfect feeling. Everything was absolutely wonderful. A loud knock on the front door took me out of my daydream. _Jacob sure did take a while for living right down the street,_ I thought to myself. I hopped off the stairs and went straight to the door, turning the knob and opening it. When I fully opened the door, I realized that this wasn't Jacob. Oh my God…

"Miss me?"


	22. Something Wicked Comes This Way

**A/N: Hi guys! Here's a little gift for you guys! The next chapter! Have a wonderfully merry Christmas and a happy Hanukah to all of you fantastic readers. I love you guys and review please! Also, the chapter song is more for the end of the chapter. :] **

_Twenty-Two:_

_Something Wicked Comes This Way_

_Chapter Song: Before The Worst by: The Script_

"Miss me?" The vindictive, obnoxious, much hated voice of a person I'd though I'd never see once more in my life came up.

"Charlotte." I barely could speak, I was breathless. What was she doing here in Forks, Washington?

"The very same."

"What…what are you doing here?"

"I came to get what rightfully belongs to me. You have something I need and well, I need it back."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play dumb with me." She rolled her eyes.

"I'm not playing dumb with anyone. I have no clue what you want and I don't even understand how or why you're here."

"How? There are such things as planes. You know, all of us don't need to swim several thousand miles to get to a certain place. Why? I told you, I want my stuff back. Now, may I come in? Oh wait, of course I can." She laughed to herself and began to take a step inside the house. My instincts and anger took the best of me, so my immediate reaction was to slam the door in her face, which I did. I locked the door and made sure she wouldn't come in, but that wouldn't stop her from trying other entrances. Running into the kitchen, I was about to go lock the sliding glass door until the sound of the back door behind opened alerted me. Stopping in my tracks, I gasped but it was useless, Jacob and the rest of the pack, minus my brother, walked in laughing and continuously talking until the saw me.

"What's with you?" Embry asked, seeing that I was wide eyed and terrified.

"Lock the door!" I demanded.

"What? What's going on?" They all looked to each other utterly confused.

"Just lock it!" I yelled, running over to the sliding glass door and locking that one. There was no way she could get in now.

"What's going on?" Jacob asked.

"The girl I told you about, Charlotte, she…" I paused when a certain noise caught my attention. Running water.

"She what? What's going—"

"Quiet," I stopped him, "I can hear water." I finished. Following the noise, I was lead into the downstairs bathroom. As I figured, the guys followed behind me. I opened the door and found the tub running. I hadn't put it on. Knowing I couldn't go anywhere near it, Jared walked over to shut it off.

"Turn it off." I told him.

"I'm trying! It's not even turned on!" He exclaimed flipping the nozzle up and down multiple times. Another high-pitched noise caught all of our attention. It was coming from the kitchen. We sprinted out of the bathroom leaving the tub on, and we went into the kitchen. On the counter, the electric teakettle was steaming and whistling. Quil ran over to it and went to unplug it.

"It's not even plugged in!" He held up the cord to show us.

"Give me your phone." I ordered Jacob, who was standing next to me. Still confused, he dropped the touch screen device into my hand and as quick as my fingers could work; I dialed Rikki's number, which I knew by heart.

"Hello?" Rikki answered. At that same moment she spoke, one of the bottles of soda Emily had just bought had exploded. The cap to the bottle was sent flying and shot over me. I screamed. Jared and Quil tried guarding themselves from the spray that was shooting at them.

"Ariana?" Rikki said in a worried tone.

"Rikki! Help!" I screamed as another bottle next to it shot up like a geyser almost touching the ceiling.

"Ariana! What's going on?" Emma yelled. Rikki had put the phone on speaker.

"She's here!" The tea kettle whistled louder and it began shaking.

"Who's there?" Cleo asked.

"Charlotte! She's here!"

"What!" All three girls yelled in shock. The freezer began to rumble and suddenly, water and ice chunks began pouring out of the dispenser.

"She came for the stuff you guys sent me. Now she's using her powers and exploding everything with liquid in it in the house!" I told them, watching the fridge and freezer doors smack open. Jacob ran over to close them and stop the water from flooding the floor.

"Whatever you do don't let her in."

"You think I don't know that?" I looked over to Paul, who was capping one of the bottles that had exploded. "Call Lewis, tell him to call her to calm her down or something!" The kitchen sink turned on and sent water shooting out everywhere. Dropping the bottle and its cap, Paul ran over to it and tried shutting it off. It wouldn't budge.

"Okay! Okay!" Emma answered. Embry was trying to stop the dispenser with his hands.

"Hurry!" I yelled and they hung up. I slid Jacob's phone into my pocket.

"How do we stop her?" One of the guys yelled over the mix of multiple different noises. The water from the sink sprayed Embry and Paul and they all groaned, getting completely annoyed by Charlottes antics.

"I don't know!" I said. Then I saw her. The henna brown haired bitch stood on the porch with a smug smile on her face. The way her hands her formed usually meant that she was controlling water. Charlotte wasn't staring at me though, she was staring above me. Looking up, a huge water ball was being levitated a few feet above my head.

"Oh my God." I heard say in the back of my mind. Then Charlotte released her hands and I watched as the ball of water fell, soaking me head to toe in water. She smiled, watching the blue bubbles form around me and fall backwards turning into my mermaid form. I landed with a loud thump and splash since there was water under me too. I propped myself up on my elbows only to be greeted to the sight of Charlotte twisting her hand, forming a wind inside the house. I watched as the wind unlocked the sliding door and she made another wind to open the door. Jacob ran over and kneeled down next to me.

"You okay?"

"I will be." I said. Charlotte casually sashayed inside and looked down to me. Everyone was silent.

"Well this must be…awkward." She smiled.

"They already know. I give you credit for trying though."

"Hmm," she paused and shrugged, "to bad."

"So you came all the way here from Australia just for some stuff you can't prove I have."  
"Oh, I know you have it. I just have to find where. And the first place I'm gonna try is...your room." She smirked and walked off. Jacob tensed up while the guys went to go after her.

"No!" I barked to them. They stopped in their place. I began to clench my fist over my tail and torso so I could dry myself off. Less than thirty seconds later with the room half filled with steam, I had my legs back. They all looked at me waiting for an answer of why I had stopped them.

"This is my fight, not yours." With the help of Jacob, I stood up.

"She just took you out by pouring water on you. Your only weakness is not having any legs, and she knows it, so what's your plan?" Embry asked.

"I'll figure it out. You guys just clean this up before Sam comes home. He's going to flip." I ordered. I gave Jacob his phone back and walked out of the kitchen, then ran up the stairs.

"Charlotte where are you?" I said loud enough for her to hear. Everything was silent. My room, she had to be in my room! Running into my room, I found it empty. Where'd she go? Behind me, I heard my door shut. Turning on my heel, I found Charlotte standing there with a hand on her hip. She locked the door to my room, obviously not letting me out.

"You don't have to do this."

"Yes. I do." She hissed.

"Why do you want it so bad?"

"The moon stone necklace helps me control my black outs and it takes a lot of power from the moon pool and gives it to me. It makes me stronger. The 'perfume' gets me Lewis back from that dumb unappreciative girlfriend of his. What's it mean to you?" She sneered

"Get this through your thick skull of yours. Lewis doesn't want you back. He never loved you and he never will. It's done. It's over. You lost. Move on."

"I never lose." Charlotte yelled. With a twist of her hand, she had thrown me back against my wall and sent me down to the floor. The crash was loud enough that you could hear it downstairs.

"I can feel it in here! My powers get stronger every time I'm near it. Where is it?" I kept quiet.

"Ariana? Open the door!" Jacob yelled, jiggling the doorknob. Charlotte rummaged through all of my drawers, throwing anything she can.

"Charlotte—those blackouts, you have them too?" I noticed.

"Sure, pretend like you have them." She spat.

"I do! I do! We're the only one's that have them since we have the same powers." I told the angered mermaid. She paused and dropped everything.

"You have my powers too?" She gritted through her teeth. Maybe that was a bad idea to bring that up. Maybe not. Maybe she'd be happy someone could relate to her? Reluctantly, I nodded.

"No! They were my powers! You aren't supposed to have them it's only supposed to be me." Charoltte made her way over to my bed and then stopped, feeling the surge of power go through her. She got on her knees and bent down, sliding her arm under my bed. And sure enough, bingo, she found it. Pulling out the box I could tell she felt accomplished.

"I never asked for them. They just came unexpectedly." I hesitated. I had to think of a plan. Anything to get that box away from her.

"No. Not you too!" she began to scream. I could hear my bedroom door knob being unlocked. Damn it guys, stay out of this. I stood up from where I had landed on the floor and looked to a very happy and angry Charlotte who had the box in her hands.

"You and those brats take everything special away from me!" The door opened, revealing Jacob.

"And now I'm going to take everything special away from you." She threatened.

"No!" I yelled. It all seemed as if it was in slow motion. She unscrewed the bottle the Sirgrebma was held in and she poured some on herself. Before I could tell Jacob not to breath in or to get out, it was to late. I watched him take a breath in, and something in his eyes had changed. He looked obsessed or possessed, I couldn't tell which one, but he looked like he was head over heels for Charlotte. Charlotte of all people.

"What have you done?" I whispered.

"I made him love the right person."

"You love Lewis! Not my boyfriend!"

"I took your advice and moved on." She smirked.

"Jacob?" I looked at him heartbroken.

"Charlotte." Was his only reply. He smiled at the sound of her name.

"Jake?" My voice cracked.

"Ooh. Jacob, I like that name. But I think I'll call you Jake, or Jakey."

"Whatever you want." He drooled. Charlotte walked over to me, snatched my necklace off of my neck, and walked back over to Jacob.

"Put this on me." She demanded. And he did. I had flashbacks to when Rikki watched Zane put the necklace on Miriam. But this was worse. I'd been through much more with Jacob, I loved him, and how he was under Charlotte's love spell. With the moon stone locket in one hand, and the Sirgrebma in the other, her and Jacob walked out together.

"Jacob stop!" I went after him.

"It's over Ariana. He doesn't love you anymore. Right, Jacob?"

"I don't love you anymore. Move on." He repeated. My heart had officially sunken into my stomach. They both smiled to me as they walked away. I sunk down to the floor, speechless and breathless. I had to stop Charlotte.


	23. Mermaid On A Mission

**A/N: Short chapter, I know and im sorry for making you guys wait this long. But I'm here! I've been super busy with college stuff and much school work -_- but I've got it under control. So here's yet another chapter! Tell me what you think! Next chapter up this weekend! Promise! First update of this story of the new year! Awesome! **

_Chapter Twenty-Three_

_Mermaid On A Mission_

_Chapter Song: The Last Time by The Daylights_

She was going to be stopped. This was it. I had to stop her. There had to be some way I could stop her. She had just stolen my boyfriend with mind control. That little bottle of liquid had made my boyfriend fall head over heels for that fishy scum bag. How on earth was I going to get him back? He was under some sort of spell, which to me, seemed unbreakable. I had to find a way. There had to be a way! With me being so deep in my thoughts, I barely noticed I was still on the ground let alone the sound of the boys trudging up the stairs. Quil was the first one to find me—then Jared, then the rest.

"What happened?" Jared asked.

"Why didn't you stop her?" I asked, getting up from the floor.

"What? Where is she?"

"More importantly, where's Jacob?"

"She took him! Why didn't you guys do anything?"

"We went outside after you guys went upstairs. We didn't want to get involved. Where is he?"

"Wherever Charlotte went!"

"But it's Jacob, why would he go with her?"

"She like, mind controlled him. I know it sounds crazy, but she did." None of them believed me. They looked to one another and then looked away, biting their lips from bursting out into laughing. Frustradeldy, I groaned.

"Okay, long story short, there's this bottle my friends back in Australia sent me. It-it has this stuff inside it that makes any guy fall in love with the first mermaid he sees. Charlotte opened it and Jake just became infatuated with her. And they just left!"

"Where'd they go?"

"If I knew that do you think I would be standing here?"

"What's the plan?"

"Let your wolf side be helpful and go find him. Don't you guys have some weird brotherly link or whatever?"

"So basically find Jacob and take down the psychotic mermaid who is somewhat connected to you."

"Not connected." I growled, walking back into my room when all of the sudden I heard my phone buzzing.

"Hello?" I answered slightly aggravated. Scratch that, I was really aggravated.

"I can't get a hold of her!" Lewis cried.

"Lewis. She just took Jacob with her; he's infatuated with her. She's power crazy; she threw me against a wall because I had the same powers as her. She's not gonna stop."

"What can I do?"

"Nothing. That's the point, you're all the way there and we're here. Just tell me how I can get Jacob back to normal."

"Tell me what happened first."

"She came to my house, I locked her out, and she started using her powers to make everything in the house go crazy. Then she somehow unlocked the back door using Cleo's wind power and she came in saying how she wanted what belongs to her back. Oh, and before she came in she poured water on me so I was on the floor while all of this was happening. So she went upstairs and started tearing through my room, fought with me, found it, and used it on Jacob!"

"Okay Ari, calm down."

"How can I calm down when our number one enemy just barged into my house and took over my boyfriends mind? How do I fix this?"

"Well, when Nate took over you girls he went into the ocean and you guys went back to normal."

"So you say if Charlotte somehow went into the ocean that everything would be broken."

"Yeah it should all be washed off."

"Thank you Lewis, you're a life savor!" I said before hanging up the phone. Turning back around, I saw the guys piled in my room.

"Well?" Embry asked.

"Go find her and I'll do the rest." I assured.

Why did this happen? Why, of all people, was Jacob the one she chose? It was an obvious question; it was just a cruel tactic of revenge for Charlotte. She didn't love him, she didn't know anything about him, and she felt as if it was right to get back at me. She still and always would love Lewis, not my Jacob. But Lewis was off limits; he was _Cleo's_ Lewis now.

Back in the kitchen of Sam's house, I silently leaned myself against the marble countertop. I wrapped my hands around the white ceramic mug that was holding coffee, which was quickly becoming cooler by the second, in it. Barely thinking, I clenched my fist to warm up the drink. Taking another sip, I immediately wished I hadn't. The extra caffeine, I hoped, would keep me alert and focus for the events that would take place in the next few hours. Heck, I didn't even like coffee. I'd done my best to be patient with the boys over the past three hours, but it was harder than it seems. For all I knew, they were currently boarding a plane to Australia to go flaunt Jacob in Lewis' face. Every call I had gotten from Embry, Paul, or Quil, whoever wasn't in their wolf form, had gotten my hopes up. I had been so confident that they would know where Jacob was at any given moment, but it was apparently much harder than that. For maybe the sixth time this morning, I had lost count after three, the obnoxious buzzing off my phone had begun again. Putting the mug down on the counter, I picked up the phone in trade. To no surprise, it was Quil calling.

"Hey." I answered, staring out into the distance.

"We found him." His voice happily said on the other side of the phone. My heart had jumped in almost a victory cheer.

"Really?" a smile had grown on my lips.

"We followed them, they're at the cliff now."

"Okay, I'll be there in a few minutes." I hung up. Without any more though, I anxiously ran out the front door. The adrenaline rush I was given from running to go take down Charlotte was something that I had never experienced before. I was scared, terrified to the bone, but then there was a kick in me that I could take her down. It must have been that feeling that Charlotte had shared with me; it was something that the necklace could take away. Somehow, that was hard to believe. I began feeling overprotective, much like Jacob had, but it was different, It seemed like I could kill Charlotte for this. Of course I would stop myself before that would happen. I was the lucky one in this situation. The cliff wasn't to far off from the house, and with a quick jog, I arrived in no time. Hiding a few yards away from the _couple that would never be_, I found the boys were sneaking behind bushes and trees. I could see Charlotte, mostly because of her fiery colored hair, and Jacob. They were hand in hand, fooling around, acting like a couple. It made me sick.

"Hey." I whispered, crouching down like the other guys.

"This is disgusting." Paul cringed.

"I swear I could kill her."

"So what's the plan little miss mermaid on a mission?"

"I somehow have to get her in the water."

"And how's that gonna work out? What are you gonna do, push her off the cliff or something?" Paul asked.

"That's not a bad idea." I smiled. All of the guys looked at me, surprise in my change of attitude.

"What? It's not like she can't swim, she's half fish." I shrugged. We continued to curiously watch them. Charlotte giggled and twisted her hair flirtatiously. Sure, she could flirt and play with him all she wanted, but he belonged to me, more importantly not her. At the risk of sounding like a jealous girlfriend, I got more and more aggravated every time they got in a close proximity of each other. Though I couldn't tell what disgusting and vile Charlotte was saying, I could tell the guys were using their super hearing that came along with being a werewolf. The concerned and grossed out expressions on their face gave it away. We continued to watch until one sudden move, everything changed again. Charlotte took Jacob's hand into her own, and leaned in. Her lips touched his, and they stayed their for a good thirty seconds. Jacob never pulled away but continued to enjoy the kiss, Charlotte basked in the glory of kissing my boyfriend. Without taking my eyes off the couple, I knew and could feel all four pairs of eyes borrowing into me. They four boys stared at me, wondering what my next move was. It was going to get dangerous from here, they were aware. To my surprise, I was able to keep a straight face even though the thoughts in my mind were repeating how much I wanted to kill her. Charlotte was so dead.

"Okay, this is gonna end." I gritted through my teeth. I got back up to my feet and charged my way through the bushes and trees, finally revealing myself with my arms crossed over my chest.

"Well, look who it is." Charlotte smiled. My mind flashbacked to the time she used the same words on me back in my surprise trip to Australia.

"Games over. I want my boyfriend back."

"He's outgrown you. He's moved on."

"Maybe you should be saying the same thing about Lewis."

"Lewis, who?" She smirked with a cock of her head. Clever, Charlotte, clever. In the corner of my eye, I watched her move her hand and she summoned a water ball. She threw it towards me but easily using Cleo's power, I 'caught' it. She was repeating everything that had happened back in Australia. The water hovered in mid air from palm to palm. Pitching it right back at her, Charlotte quickly froze the water into a large ball off ice and chucked it at me. I managed to catch it, but only with falling backwards and dropping the ice onto the ground, letting it rapidly change back to its normal liquid state.

"It's all over, _Ari_, just give up." Charlotte taunted. Not taking my eyes off her once, I used a tactic I learned from Rikki, an element of surprise. Twisting my hand, I formed another water ball from the spilled puddle on the ground. She didn't notice.

"Why don't you do us a favor and leave before this gets any worse." Charlotte giggled, completely oblivious to what was going on right under her nose. Then, along with thinking about everything she had done to piss me off, I slid my arm back then with all the force I had, I shot it forward, sending the water ball straight at Charlotte. A cry came from her in aggravation. She was soaked, the front of her shirt drenched in the seawater. Using this as time, I got to my feet.

"Problem, _Char_?" I counted down the seconds in my head before she would change. Instead of leaving her to pop a tail right in front of me, I created a wind to make her stumble backwards and before she knew it, I pushed her over the edge and she was sent hurtling down to the ocean waves. She screamed, but moments later, I heard the loud splash of her body merging with the waves. The spell was broken! I had my Jacob back! With a satisfied smile upon my face, I turned back around to find, to my surprise, a very pissed off Jacob. Was he angry I just risked fighting with her?

"Jake?" My brows furrowed, I couldn't think of one possible reason for him to be angry at me. I walked towards him, but instead of him pulling me into a hug like I thought he would, he grabbed my wrist.

"Ow! Jacob, let go of me!" I yelled.

"You hurt her." He hissed. He was still possessed, he was still in love with Charlotte. Back when he was telling me about his imprints, he told me a story about how if anyone hurt his imprint, he would have to kill them. It was his instinct, whether he wanted to or not.

"Oh, no, no, no. Jacob, it's me." I pleaded, he held onto my wrist tighter, I felt like he was going to break it. "Guys!" I yelled.

"You'll regret that." This was making him crazy! He was actually going to kill me! How long did it take for this potion to wear off?

"Jacob stop!" I yelled. Before I could fight my way off, I found myself airborne. A scream escaped my mouth as I had the same fate as Charlotte, I was thrown off the cliff.

Back up on the top of the La Push Cliff, the tension was thick. The guys were delayed on coming to my rescue, as they had just arrived the moment I was thrown off the cliff.

"No!" Quil yelled after they saw me fall.

"Dude, what did you just do?" Embry yelled. Jacob, turning around to face them, looked at his pack without a care in his mind. That was, until he took a breath in and something in his eye changed. The compassion, the normal Jacob, was back. Turning his head from side to side, he looked back up to the pack.

"What am I doing here?" He innocently asked. Quil, Embry, Paul and Jared had their jaws dropped. They were in complete shock.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm done with this mermaid magic voodoo." Jared shook his head.

"What's going on?" Jacob asked very confused.

"Well to first start it off, you just threw your girlfriend off a cliff."

"What?" He yelled.

"Should we mention you just hooked up with her enemy?" Embry nervously added. Jacob's eyes went wide.

"We probably should go get Charlotte before she tries to kill Ariana…or any of us…" Quil, along with the 3 others, slowly walked backwards away from a pissed off and confused Jacob.

I hit the water with a big and painful splash. My body tingled and stung from it. I was pushed underwater from an oncoming wave. My fogged vision watched as my sneakers transformed into fins and my jean covered legs turned into a large scaly tail. I quickly looked for Charlotte, but as I figured, she was nowhere to be seen. It was possible she was already back on land drying herself off. I prayed to God the guys had as much common sense to go get her. Or maybe she had swum away, but there was one thing I knew for sure, she wasn't here. The waves were stronger than I thought. I'd been previously warned by Jacob months ago how the waves always got rough at this time of year. With a change in the weather, there was a change in the ocean. I'd never felt it to be so over powering. I felt myself being pulled, pushed, and sucked in by the power of the waves. As I struggled to get back up to the surface, I caught a glimpse of the rock wall belonging to the cliff in front of my face and that was the last thing I saw before something sharp hit my forehead and my vision went dark.


	24. This Isn't Over

**A/N: Oh gosh, well, hello guys! I haven't updated in almost a month. Gosh, possibly longest I've gone with this story. I've been super sick for the past two weeks and on top of that I've been studying for exams. Wonderful, right? It sucks, but I'm getting better! Hope you guys enjoy this chapter, thanks for keeping with me! As for this story, it's beginning to get closer and closer to the climax! I'm so excited! **

_Chapter Twenty-Four:_

_This Isn't Over_

_Chapter Song: In My Place by Coldplay_

In all honesty, I've never had a dream like this one before. It wasn't a dream. There was no plot, there were no characters, there was no me. There was nothing. Well, I wouldn't say nothing. There were colors—it was colors. The blackness had faded into blue. It looked like waves—dark and calming waves. Occasionally I could hear voices, but my mind refused to comprehend what it, whoever it was, was saying. It stayed the same for many minutes, it could have been hours, I was in a time warp. I couldn't see my body—all I saw were waves. Was I swimming? It was a continuous ocean without any sand or reefs—just water. And I felt calm. It was like I was drowning, but not having a care in the world, just watching the colors swim by.

"Come on Ariana, breathe." The voice came back. The voice was familiar, and the voice was soothing, I wanted to hear it talk more. The dark ocean waves began to become lighter and lighter, they were now a light blue. They were getting so bright that my head began to hurt. Where was my head? Pressure—I began to feel pressure: in my body and in my head. Where was my body? The water began to get lighter and lighter until—

My eyes shot open and I gasped for air, coughing out water. My first sights, a grey sky and a large figure hovering over me. Jacob. The once comforting sight of him usually made me smile, until my mind remembered that he was the one to throw me off the cliff.

"Get away!" I yelled, trying to scoot myself away. I didn't move. Looking down, I realized I still had my tail. Jacob didn't listen to me, instead he moved closer. He grabbed my face and kissed me. I tried refusing but his words made me stop.

"Thank God, you're okay."

"Oh my God, you're back to normal!" I squealed, letting out a breath of relief.

"I'm so sorry, I would have never done something like that if I realized what I was doing."

"You think I don't know that? Just, thank God you're back to normal." I felt like the world was lifted off my shoulders. Not wanting to deal with this tail any longer, I clenched my fist over my tail and watched the steam appear around my body. In no time, I turned into water for a split second and then I had my body back.

"What the hell were you thinking? Pushing Charlotte off a cliff? She could have done the same to you."

"She had to be put in water for you to get back to normal. I had to do something."

"Then why didn't you let one of the guys push her off?"

"Because, I don't know, she kissed you, I got pissed off. I couldn't have just sat there and done nothing."

"That's exactly what you should have done, but thank you for getting me back to normal. And I'm so glad you're okay."

"Jeez, what happened?" I asked, readjusting my position by propping myself up on my hands.

"Looks like you hit your head, and you were passed out for a little while." He said, glancing up to my forehead. Furrowing my brows, I notice it hurt. Reaching up to the upper right area of my forehead, I touched the cut and came back with blood on my hand.

"Damn it." I murmured under my breath.

"It stopped before, don't touch it." Jacob demanded.

"Here, stand up." I demanded. Jacob did as I said and then gave me his hand to help me get up. Noticing Jacob's hand was wet, and now so was mine, I quickly wiped it on my jeans. I didn't need to change once again. After wiping my hand on my jeans, I dried a very soaked Jacob off in less than thirty seconds.

"God that's helpful." He looked down, examining his warm clothes.

"Oh my God, where's Charlotte?" I noticed.

"Don't worry, the guys took her back to the house. Believe me, they're not letting her out of their sight."

"Thank you." I whispered, giving Jacob a hug. He wrapped his arms around me, and I felt safe once again.

"For what?"

"Dealing with me through this. I thought I was done with Charlotte the second I left back for here…again."

"Well, she'll be out of your life soon enough." He comforted, rubbing my back.

"Well, look what we have here. Isn't this adorable." An unfamiliar voice taunted. The unfamiliar voice had been stored away in the back of my mind, somewhere I didn't want to ever hear it. It haunted me in my dreams. It was a voice I never wanted to hear. I felt Jacob look up and then become very tense. Turning around, I saw someone I never thought I'd see again. She looked as cold as her pale skin. Her red eyes were as fiery red as her hair. They showed off hate and made my spine shiver in fear. Jacob took a protective stance in front of me. I could feel him silently telling me to go run into the ocean if she made any sudden move. But if I did, he was coming with me.

"Blood sucker." Jacob hissed.

"Dog," she laughed, "and let me say hello to the mermaid! Wow, did not see that coming. I knew you were different, but this? I have to admit, you got me. In 162 years, I've never seen something like that." She finished. I bit my lip, trying not to say a word though I had many for her.

"So, which one of you wants to go first?" She asked, shifting her eyes from me to Jacob. I knew I could use my powers, but I was to scared to move. My heart was racing at a hundred miles per hour. I didn't want to die. I wouldn't let Jacob die. Just as Victoria was about to make her move, a flash of wind came our way, and I didn't create it. The whole Cullen family were standing a mere few yards from Victoria.

"Oh look who joined the party." She raised a brow.

"Victoria, this ends here." Edward yelled.

"This isn't over. I want you gone, _mermaid_. Same with you, dog." Lastly, the red headed vampire laughed, and then in a split second she flashed away. In that same second, Edward, Emmett, and Jasper were in the exact same spot that Victoria was standing in a millisecond ago. Victoria just spilled my secret to seven other people. Great. Now the count has gone up to nineteen. Seven being the Cullen's, another 7 being the pack and Emily, and then there was Charlotte, the girls, Zane, and Lewis.

"Damn it!" Emmett yelled. The rest of them were silent, continuously glaring at Jacob and I. Would someone please say something? The silence was killing me.

"You're a mermaid?" Rosalie spat.

"Yes, we've already established that none of us here are normal, can we please move on?"

"No, if I want to ask I ca—"

"Yes, yes, we can." Carlisle cut in, stopping Rosalie from saying one more word.

"How long was she here for?" Esme asked.

"A minute." Jacob answered.

"She's becoming more bold, showing up more often." Edward looked at his father.

"We're aware, and I'm sure you all are too." Carlisle turned to Jacob.

"Yes, all of us are."

"Aware of what?" I asked Jacob.

"The amount of deaths." Rosalie replied to my unanswered questions.

"What? When were you going to tell me this?" Jacob didn't answer, again.

"Jacob, before we leave, we'd like you to pass on some information to Sam and the rest of the pack. I'm sure you all have been noticing the death tolls rising, and the amount of missing people becoming more evident to the town. The war is coming closer, and we are all preparing. I advice you should too, inform the pack because this war is coming upon us quickly." Carlisle finished

"War? What war?" I asked Jacob, who seemed to be fine with ignoring me.

"Jacob, what war?" I repeated, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Looks like you have a lot explaining to do." Edward looked at both of us before him, along with his whole family, disappeared. Jacob was silent for a few moments, collecting his thoughts, wondering what he was going to tell me and how he was going to do it. Finally, he slowly turned around to face me. He had a guilty expression upon his face.

"Jacob, what war?" I gritted through my teeth, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Ariana, come on." Jacob pleaded as I slammed the door in his face. With him being ten times stronger than me, to him it was a simple push of the door. He walked in right behind me. Trying not to notice, I saw three of the guys sitting on the couch either texting or reading a magazine, completely bored. Their heads popped up.

"You hid this from me!" I screeched, not bothering to turn back around.

"Whooaa, what's going on?" Paul put his phone back in his pocket.

"You are aware that he didn't mean to push you off, right?" Embry cocked his head.

"That's not what this is about. And for the record, for werewolfs, you all have really slow reflexes." I rolled my eyes and walked into the kitchen. Oh my God, Sam was going to kill me. It was a mess in here.

"I didn't want you knowing."

"Of course you didn't." I groaned. Deciding I didn't want to deal with staring at this mess I was responsible for cleaning up straight in the face, I decided to walk into the backyard. Of course, Jacob followed me like a puppy. Frustradedly, I ran my fingers through my hair and let my arms fall to my side. On the way down, my hand brushed against the bushes of the porch. In no time, they set ablaze. Jacob stopped in his tracks, and so did I. I turned around to see the bush on fire and with a loud groan and roll of my eyes, I stopped it. Now I knew how Rikki felt when she was so angry that time she was moonstruck half of Mako Island was set on fire.

"Okay, can we at least talk about this?"

"Sure, go ahead. When were you going to tell me this? You were leaving out that important fact that you guys could very well die from this."

"It's not gonna happen like that! All we have to do is fight them."

"Them?"

"Victoria created this army of newborn vampires. Those are all of the missing people, and we have to kill them all with the help of the Cullens."

"So let me get this straight, a little less than a hundred baby vamps that are pretty powerful are going up against you, the pack, my brother, and the Cullen family. And your plan is to just…kill them."

"Summed up like that, yeah, it is."

"Okay, that's the dumbest thing any of you have ever thought of."

"Could you think about it for a good minute? This is for the safety of you, me, and everyone else in this town."

"But the plan isn't good when people that I love are being put in danger. You guys are going to get killed out there. You guys can't do this. Let the Cullens go do this. Their vampires, let them fight with out vampires. That makes sense. If you guys get bit it…"

"Kills us."

"So why risk it?"

"Because if we don't, it won't matter. They'll take over and everyone you've ever know or spoke to will be dead. So what would you prefer?" He asked. I didn't answer, I quietly looked down to the ground with closed eyes.

"Why do you have to go? Can't you stay home with me and Emily?"

"Speaking of staying home, that's not exactly where you'll be."

"What?"

"You'll be with Bella…in the mountains."

"Bella? Oh come on, anyone but her."

"I know you don't like her, but it's only for a few hours." I didn't like her, I really didn't. I disliked her a little less than I hated Charlotte. Oh my God, Charlotte.

"Speaking of people I don't like, Charlotte. Where is she?"

"Basement."

"I'll be back." I sighed, "but, promise me, whenever this war does happen, soon or not, you'll be careful."

"Promise."

"Thank you."

"She's been complaining for a good hour now." Quil sighed as I walked into the hallway where the basement door was. He, of course, was guarding it along with Jared by his side. I stopped and listen to hear what Charlotte was saying.

"I don't hear anything." I looked at them. Simultaneously, Quil and Jared pointed to their ears. Werewolf hearing, it was something we mermaids don't have.

"Right, werewolf hearing."

"Are you sure you can deal with her?"

"Yeah. Besides, you have bigger things you have to deal with."

"What?" The both asked.

"You might have to have a talk with Jacob." I sighed, and open the door, walking through the door way and stopping. What was Charlotte going to do now? What crazy antic was she going to try to kill me with this time? Taking one last thought, I shut the door behind me and walked down my first step. Quil and Jared were correct about her nonstop complaining, she wouldn't stop talking.

"I swear to God I'll kill one of you if you don't get me out of here!" She whined.

"Just let me out!" She yelled, rattling the chair. I finally reached the end of the stairs, and stood at the bottom. My vision went blurry for a moment and I could feel that same feeling come over me. I was angry, really angry, but I couldn't let it take control of me. Slowly walking in, Charlotte looked at me with hatred.

"And to think you were dead." She huffed.

"Wow, hurtful. I might have actually cared on that one."

"Drop it, now let me out!" She demanded.

"Hmm, let me think…" I stopped, "no." I looked her in the eyes and she sneered.

"Your gonna regret this you little—"

"Eh, eh, eh. Charlotte, watch what you're saying, you might not want to regret anything." I raised a brow, walked over to her, looked at the moon stone necklace around her neck, and yanked it off, breaking the chain. Before I did anything else, I reached into her pocket and grabbed the glass vial containing the liquid that put Jacob into the mind control state.

"No!" She yelled.

"You can't have this anymore. You're destroying the moon pool. It's not helping your black outs, it's making them worse! You have to much power Charlotte, you have to give it up."

"I will never be the one to give up my powers. Never. It'll never happen so you give it up!"

"Charlotte, you're going to go home, and leave all of us alone. All of us. Me, Emma, Rikki, Lewis, Zane, and Cleo. Especially Cleo."

"No, this isn't over. I want you gone."

"Yeah, so do a lot of people, so if you're planning on killing me, get in line."

"Yeah, I'm sure, like who?"

"A vampire named Victoria."

"Vampires? Wow, you really are crazy."

"Don't believe me? Then how do I know my step brothers a werewolf?" Charlotte began to sink in the news.

"Now you're just being dumb." There was fear in her voice. In the corner of my eye, I saw her try to wiggle out of the ropes that tied her I sighed, and leaned myself against Sam's 19th century walnut desk.

"Why would I lie about such things? I've got much more things to lie about Charlotte. But since you haven't been here long, let me give you an insight on what's been going on the past few months."

"Stop, I know you're trying to scare me. It won't work." It was working.

"Well, first when I was walking home from school one day a few months ago, I took a short cut through the woods. This red headed woman found me and began attacking me. Me being smart, used my powers to throw her off. Then every week I would see her. She would stalk me, she'd threaten me, she'd try to kill me. And it continued. And then the night before I came into Australia, I found out about my brother and the amount of killings that have been going on. So Charlotte, if you want to be part of this then go ahead and stay here. But don't blame me when you're on your death bed." Charlotte blankly stared at me. It was obvious to tell that she was frightened, but I couldn't decide on what her next move was.

"Fine." She croaked. "I'll leave."

"I expect you to be gone by tonight." I flatly said. With the twist of my hand, and the help from my wind power, I let the ropes that tied Charlottes wrist behind the chair, fall to the ground. Then, I turned on my heel and headed up stairs. Something didn't seem right, but I wasn't going to over look it. Opening the door, I could hear Quil and Jared move away from it.

"You okay?" Quil asked.

"Fine." Picking my head up, I saw Jacob standing in front of me.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." I nodded, walking past him. I didn't know why I felt so emotionally drained. It was the possibility I felt sad since in the beginning of all of this, Cleo, Emma, and I thought that Charlotte could have been our friend. But she turned out to be rude, all she could think about was revenge and the next thing she could get her hands on. That, and I knew this was finally all over. I wouldn't have to deal with Charlotte anymore; the girls wouldn't have to deal with her. I had the necklace, and I was about to destroy the perfume. Behind me, I could feel all of the guys following me. I walked into the backyard and threw the perfume up into the air. When it reached its highest point, I threw up my arm and let the bottle explode. It was gone, that problem was all gone. The guys were still inside, I could feel their eyes glued to my back. I took a deep breath, at least my Charlotte problem was over. As I walked back inside, the guys moved away from the door, like they pretended as if they weren't watching me. Shutting the door behind me, my eyes came across the watery mess of the kitchen. I let out a depressed breath.

"Can you guys clean this up before Sam comes home?"

"Why can't you?" Paul asked. I looked at him with raised brows.

"I can't clean this up and not have a tail at the same time. Please? Sam's going to kill me." Jacob looked at the rest of the pack, they nodded.

I sat on top of the kitchen table, my feet dangling off and resting on the chair. If you saw me, you would think I would be watching the hilarious scene of five-hybrid werewolf's cleaning up a kitchen, but I wasn't. I was deep in my own ocean of thoughts, wondering why Charlotte agreed to leave so easily. She came to Forks to specifically ruin me, and my story had scared her so much she decided to pack up her bags and go back to Australia? It was very possible that she couldn't wait to continue to ruin Cleo's life, by trying to win back Lewis. Who knew, it was Charlotte, she was unpredictable.

"This sucks. Why do we have to do this?" Paul complained.

"Because Sam would have killed all of us." Embry sighed.

"It's just a little water." He rolled his eyes.

"But still, it's Sam."

"True. But of all things, I would think Ariana would be laughing her ass off at us for this." Jared said, I barely caught the sound of my name.

"Hmm?" I looked up, replying to late. They all looked at me, slightly confused why I was so out of it. Before Jared could reply, the front door knob twisted and opened, revealing Sam and Emily. Sam laughed, not aware that any of us were in the kitchen.

"I don't know Em, it sounds kind of—" He paused once he reached the kitchen.

"Hi?" He looked at all of us.

"What's going on?" he suspiciously asked, "are you guys cleaning? And Ari, what happened to your head?" Sam turned to me once seeing the dried blood on my forehead. I was not in the mood for this.

"I'll be in my room." I got up from the table and walked out of the room, leaving everyone confused and silent.


	25. It's Time

**A/N: Yeah, I know this was short but good chapters coming up soon! Promise! Sorry this took so long to get up, I had like 5 major tests in the past 2 weeks. Sucks! Enjoy this semi-short chapter!**

_Chapter Twenty-Five:_

_It's time_

_I Can Barely Say by: The Fray_

I woke up like every other morning for the past few weeks, groggily trying to figure out where I was, but then remembering I was in my room. I rubbed my sleep-crusted eyes and let my arms fall to my side, my eyes wandering up to the ceiling. Turning onto my side towards the wall, I pulled the blanket all the way up, protecting my body from the cold air. Why the hell wasn't the heater on? I wasn't even out of bed yet and I knew this morning would be the same as all the others. I would go down to the kitchen to find the guys eating a huge breakfast, because their 'practice' had been going on for x amount of hours. Normal people would hear the word practice and think of football or soccer. But no, my boyfriend was training to fight vampires. Was it so wrong with me being bothered by it? I didn't think so, but how was Emily so calm with this? Taking me out of my thoughts, my phone began ringing on my bedside table. Debating whether to grab it or not, I rolled over and sat up, staring at the object.

"Hello?" Reluctantly, I picked it up, forgetting to check the caller ID.

"And how are you today?" Rikki asked.

"Fine." I lied, raking my fingers through my hair.

"Oh gosh, did I wake you up? What time is it there? I'm always bad with this."

"No, it's fine, I um, I was up."

"You don't sound so sure…uh oh, oh Ari, were you over thinking this again?"

"Possibly." I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear.

"I thought we talked about this." Rikki said. She knew, I told her, Emma, and Cleo about what Jacob and my brother were hiding from me.

"We did. I know." I stopped, closing my eyes. "It has to be done." My breaths were shaky.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked quietly. Rikki wasn't the best with trying to cheer someone, even a friend, up. She didn't know how to, and she knew I knew that she didn't. If anything, I'd go to Cleo for help with it.

"No."

"Don't take this the wrong way or anything, because you're my best friend, but I think you need to talk to someone. And that someone should be this girl whose dating this vampire guy at your school."

"Bella?"

"Ah, that's the one." She realized.

"Rikki, I don't think so."

"Hey, I'm just trying to help. I hate hearing you this upset."

"Thanks Rikki, it's just—"

"Complicated, I get it." She sighed.

"Speaking of complicated, any sign of Charlotte yet?" I asked, playing with the fabric of my shirt.

"If there was I would have called you."

"I figured. I guess she just went off somewhere, I thought she'd be home by now."

"I at least thought she'd be harassing Lewis! I'm quite surprised."

"Me too."

"Hey, I think my dad's coming. He's gonna kill me for still being up. Call you later, okay?"

"Yeah, okay, go to sleep. We'll talk later."

"Bye." She whispered, and hung up. I sat there a good minute, staring at the blank phone screen.

Downstairs, I held a piping hot ceramic mug in my hand. It was filled with Emily's delicious homemade hot chocolate. Outside, the guys were fighting each other. I watched as Jacob threw a punch at Sam, who blocked it and flipped Jacob over. He landed on the ground with a loud thump, his friends laughed at him. Anger filling his emotions, he got up and pushed Jared to the ground. Though I couldn't hear a word any of them were saying, I could tell they were all fighting. And Jacob was agitated. He stormed away from the guys and towards the house. I shook my head and looked down to my drink, heating it up a little bit.

"Oh, you're up. I came upstairs earlier and you were asleep. I figured I shouldn't have woken you up."

"That was very smart of you to do." A fake smile tugged at my lips. He smiled a little bit and walked over to me.

"But, morning." I added right before he kissed me.

"When did you get up?" He walked over to the fridge, grabbing a bottle of Gatorade from the top shelf.

"Not to long ago. I got a call from Rikki, so we talked."

"Oh, what'd she want?" He asked, taking a sip of the red liquid. I hadn't told Jacob how depressed I was over this war. I couldn't be a liability—him worrying too much about how I was feeling and not thinking for himself.

"Oh, nothing, just checking in. How was practice?" I took a sip of my drink.

"Sam's killing us, but that's besides the point." He shook his head, letting out a deep breath. Giving him a quick sympathetic smile, I walked over to the sink and gently put my mug in it.

"Well, I doubt he'll lighten up any time soon."

"Where are you going?" Jacob asked, noticing that I was slowly backing out of the room.

"Bath. Good luck with Sam." I nodded my head and walked up to my room.

"Hey, Ariana." He stopped me. I turned on my heel, looking at him with a straight face.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" He crossed his muscular arms over his chest.

"Just as okay as I'll ever be." My lips formed a line, and I finally walked out. I didn't want to talk with him about this.

The entire time I was in the bath, I had been thinking about what Rikki said. How I should talk to Bella about this. Rikki thought that it would help me get out of this black hole called depression. Bella was going through the same thing as me; she would feel exactly what I was feeling. Rikki was right; I had to go see her. Walking down the stairs and into the living room, I quietly made my way to the door. At the end of the hall, I could spot the keys to Sam's car. Maybe, since Sam was out back and Emily was upstairs sleeping, I could take the car and neither of them would find out. I didn't have my license yet, but I did know how to drive. Sam had given me lessons multiple times. He figured I couldn't go walking or swimming everywhere, so I had to get my license eventually.

"And where do you think you're going?" Sam asked, coming out of nowhere. I jumped, gasping quietly.

"I was going to my friend Jessica's house." I lied. My real destination was the Cullen's.

"Okay…" He skeptically answered.

"I was thinking, Jessica's house is a pretty far walk. Would you mind if I took your car?"

"Ariana…" His thick brows rose.

"It's not to far from here. And besides, it looks like it's going to rain. And we both know I can't walk with a tail. We're just hanging out at her house, I won't kill anyone."

"Are you going to speed?"

"I don't plan on dying today if that's what you mean."

"Promise you won't get caught?"

"Swear."

"Fine." He dug into his pocket and threw the spare key into my hands.

"Thanks Sam."

Driving by myself for the first time was scary and lonely. But, I had the radio to keep my company. I directed Sam's truck into the Cullen's drive way. I knew I wasn't supposed to be here, but Bella's father, Chief Swan, said that she would be here. She was always here. Outside the modern look house, complete with multiple sets of glass walls, there were multiple cars: a silver Volvo, a black jeep, and Bella's old orange Chevy. The large garage was left open, revealing a black S55 series Mercedes, a bright yellow Porsche, and a fire truck red Mercedes convertible. Wow, these people had a lot of money. Of course they did, they've been alive for hundreds of years. They had more than enough time to earn it. I shut the door to the car and reluctantly walked to the front door and knocked on it. Moments later, it was open, by the short pixie like girl named Alice. As always, she was dressed fashionably, even for just staying at home.

"Ariana? Hi!" She happily greeted. Was she ever not happy?

"Hi," I sounded depressed I needed to change my tone, "Is Bella here?"

"Yeah…come in." She became serious.

"Alice, who's here?" The blonde vampire walked in and stopped when she saw me.

"Okay, who let the dog's chew toy in?" She put her perfectly manicured hands on her hips. If I wasn't so upset right now, I'd make a come back.

"Bella's upstairs in Edwards room. I can show you if you want." She ignored her sister's comment.

"Yeah, that'd be helpful." Alice led me up the stairs and onto the second floor.

"I think I know why you're here." Alice piped up, breaking the silence between us. I didn't answer, I looked up to her. "It's about this war that's going on, isn't it?"

"Is that some vampire power? How'd you know?" She giggled and shook her head.

"No, that's Edward's power." She chuckled, "I can see into the future. It's quite impressive actually," she flashed me a smile, but it faded, "but I knew because it's obvious. Even if you're acting similar to Bella, I'm sure anyone in your situation would be freaking out. I know I am." Alice shrugged.

"You?"

"Yes me. You know, even if we're vampires, we still have human emotions. I'm scared probably just as much as you are. If anyone in my family was to get hurt, I don't know what I would do. And if Jasper would happen to get hurt, I think I'd die right then and there. I love him to much to let him get hurt."

"So what are you doing about it?"

"Nothing. I trust Jasper, I know—I hope he'll be okay. Here, I'm taking up your time with Bella, I should get going." She took a step backwards in her five inch high Valentino heels.

"Wait—Alice." I stopped her, "do you want to stay and talk with Bella and I? We're all going through the same thing, so it might make sense if we go through it together."

"That'd be perfect." Alice's happy smile made the room brighter.

Awkwardly walking over to Edward's room, I could hear the sound of piano music and Bella's light talking. I stopped right in front of the door and found them both cuddling up against each other on the chaise lounge. Edward laughed, and then both their eyes met mine.

"Hi…" I pursed my lips, awkwardly not knowing what to say, "can I talk to you?" I referred to Bella. The pale brunette nodded her head, and Edward left the room. I made my way into the room first then Alice followed.

"What's going on?" She began nervously playing with her plaid shirt. Her eyes shifted from Alice to me, then back again.

"I wanted to talk about this war that's been going on between my brothers pack and you guys."

"Did Jacob put you up to this?"

"Jake didn't put me up to anything. They don't even know I'm here right now, I'm supposedly watching movies at Jessica's."

"Then what is this about?"

"I don't get how you're dealing with this. Aren't you upset about knowing what's going to happen?"

"Yes." She murmured.

"Bella, I know we have our differences, and we're dating two supernatural creatures that are sworn enemies to each other, but, god I can't believe I'm saying this, I need to talk to someone. This is killing me inside."

"You're not alone."

"Same here." Alice smiled.

"Do you guys know how a werewolf could get killed?"

"They have to be bitten by a vampire." Bella answered.

"How do you know that?"

"Jake told me."

"What else did he say?"

"Not much. Barely anything in fact."

"How are you dealing knowing Edward's going into this war, whatever this thing is, and could possibly get hurt?"

"That's the thing, Edward's not going. He's staying with me in the mountains."

"The mountains? What are you talking about?"

"Bella's not allowed to stay here or her house because they can easily get her outside and in a blink of an eye, Victoria will have her. We have to keep her in a hidden spot where Victoria and her baby army can't find her." Alice answered.

"You mean there's ways they can lure you outside so they can kill you?"

"Yes." Alice's golden eyes trailed down to the fabric of the seat.

"This is all to much." I sighed.

"We can keep you and Emily safe, but you have to tell us something first."

"Like?" I looked curiously at Alice.

"Tell us everything that happened when you ran in with Victoria." She practically begged. I closed my eyes and let out a breath I was holding. My eyes flickered back open and they altered over to Bella.

"I'm assuming they told you."

"Part fish?"

"Yet another to add to the list." I rolled my eyes.

"Did you fight Victoria off or not?" Alice asked, growing inpatient.

"Kind of. I stalled her and I ran."  
"That's all we need."

"For what?" I cocked my head.

"Victoria is after both of you, am I right? So there's got to be some way to protect both of you." Alice began. Bella and I looked at each other nervously.

"So you really don't remember anything at all?" I asked Alice, who had just finished telling us about her family's history as vampires. She ended with her story, which was short since she didn't remember anything of her past life.

"Nothing. It's weird too. Sometimes I can get these weird flash backs but they make no sense. I don't even look like myself, my hair was light brown and down to my waist." She smiled, looking out the window and into the forest.

"What about you? How was life in Australia? Of all the places I've gone in my life, Australia was never one of them."

"How are you even allowed into the sunlight? I thought vampires burned up or something like that."

"Not without this adorable yet completely crucial accessory." She smiled, waving her fingers in my face. A lapis lazuli crystal sat on top of decorative silver.

"That's awesome. I wish we had one of those that protected us from water."

"Their quite helpful, I don't know what I'd d—" Alice stopped mid sentence. Her eyes were focused on the outside, but she kept still.

"Alice?" Bella put her hand on Alice's knee. She didn't move. Her lips were parted, as if she was frozen.

"Alice!" Bella shook her leg.

"What's going on?" I alerted.

"She's having a vision." Bella's eyes never left Alice's face. Moments later, she gasped and her eyes blinked a few times.

"Alice, what's going on?" Bella asked.

"Oh my God." She whispered.

"What?" I looked at Bella, beginning to freak out.

"Carlisle!" She yelled. In seconds, the whole family was upstairs.

"What's going on?" The young doctor, the father of the group, walked in and walked beside Alice.

"It's time." She replied quietly.


	26. Signing Your Death Sentence

**A/N: This chapter took so long to write! I wanted it to be just right. I don't think I got there but, I tried. Enjoy please review!**

_Chapter Twenty-Six:_

_Signing Your Death Sentence_

_Chapter Song: _

_Over My Head By The Fray_

It was dead silent. No one moved, and besides Bella and I, no one was breathing either.

"What do you mean it's time?" My brows furrowed, my eyes wandering from Alice to every other Cullen in the room. They kept straight faces, like they were frozen that way. Turning to Bella, she seemed scared as well. I just seemed confused. Why was I the only one in this room who didn't know what that meant?

"Alice, follow Ariana home and inform the pack." Carlisle said in his serious doctor like tone. The small girl nodded, then grabbed my hand and pulled me off the bed. For such a small figure, she had a lot of strength. She could thank her vampire abilities for that. Edward rushed to Bella's side, grasping her hand tightly. She muttered something inaudible to me, but Edward answered with a nod.

"Carlisle, what's going on?" I asked before being forced out of the room. He never answered, I wasn't even sure he heard.

"Carlisle!" I yelled.

"They'll explain." He promised. Who was the _they_ he was talking about?

Not wasting any more of her time, Alice used her vampire speed and in the blink of an eye, we were already at my car. My head was spinning from the rush of her power.

"Alice, what's going on?" I yelled, demanding answers.

"Just drive back to your house, I'll be right behind you." Literally, she pushed me into my car and shut my door. Completely confused, I buckled my seat belt and sped out of the Cullen's driveway.

'I'm going to die, I'm going to die', I repeated in my head as I sped fifteen miles over the speed limit to get back to the reservation. How did a cop not spot me yet? Looking in the rear view mirror, I watched just road speed behind me. Alice's bright yellow and fully noticeable Porsche was nowhere to be found. The Cullens seemed to be in a rush to get me home, why would Alice suddenly disappear? Time was passing to slowly; I didn't understand what was going on. What did Alice have a vision of and how did it affect me? Why did Alice want me to get home so safely? God, all these questions were killing my mind. Pulling into the La Push reservation, Sam's house was only about two minutes away. I was almost there. I could stop freaking out. I was safe, I knew I was—but why were my hands still shaking? Sam's house quickly came into view and a wave of relief came over me, but quickly left. Parking his truck in the driveway, I ran up the walkway and flew myself into the house. My breaths were shaky and unsteady. Once I made a lousy attempt to control them, I listened for voices. I could hear them all in the kitchen. Quil laughed, and retorted a lame comeback to Jared, who easily snipped it off. I didn't hear Emily; maybe it was good she wasn't hear for once.

"Sam! Jacob!" I yelled. Immediately, they were out of their seats and into the living room, where I was.

"What?" They said at the same time, both looking worried.

"Can someone explain to me what the hell is going on?" I yelled.

"What are you talking about?" Sam cocked his head.

"And why do you smell like…vampire?" Paul looked disgusted. I cursed myself out in my head, I forgot they could smell vampire on me. It was like if someone went to a friend's house and they played with a dog. They'd come home and your dog would smell your friend's dog on your clothes. And my boyfriend, brother, and the pack—they were all dogs. My face stood still.

"Ariana, you didn't go to Jessica's did you?"

"That's not the point! What are you guys not telling me?" I wanted answers; I needed some. Behind me, there was a frustrated knock on the door.

"Who is that?" Embry stared at me. I didn't answer, I just moved out of the way. Sam cautiously walked to the door, and reluctantly opened it. Alice came barging in.

"What did you do?" Jacob whispered to me. I looked at him, surprised that he thought I actually did something.

"What are you doing here?" Sam asked, staring at the petite vampire.

"I'm here to warn you." Her golden eyes scanned over all of us. She took a breath in, "they're coming here. It's time." All the werewolves in the room tensed. Jacob did the most, he didn't move. Was he still alive?

"You should leave, Alice." Sam finally answered in a serious, deep, voice.

"She has a right to know."

"What?"

"Yeah, agreed, _what_?" Jacob's brows furrowed.

"They're coming."

"After Bella. We know that." Jacob stated the obvious.

"Well…not only Bella."

"Hold up. What the hell does this mean?" Jacob spat.

"Sam you knew?" I looked at him.

"Not entirely."

"What? No. I knew she wanted to kill me but that was just we had a few run ins."Alice shook her head.

"I had a vision, you've got to go."

"No. I can't—"

"Jacob, take her upstairs." Sam demanded.

"No, Sam! Alice?" This was the first time I've ever seen Alice so sad. She was always so happy-go-lucky and ecstatic. I know I didn't know her well, but she was never this sad unless something bad was going to happen. Jacob took a hold of my hand and dragged me up to my room. I didn't bother fighting him because it was obvious there would be a lot of fighting later.

"Stop! For like two seconds! This is going way to fast."

"You've got to go!"

"I can't just leave Emily here. And I can't just leave while you guys go fight."

"Emily's in Seattle. Sam had a feeling this was going to come up in the next few days, she left earlier."

'What exactly has Sam been hiding from me?"

"I haven't told you the full story. We've been tracking this for a while—unexplained disappearances and 'accidental' killings."

"I already know that."

"There are more newborn vampires than we thought. And they're stronger. Much stronger. But we've been training the past couple weeks. We've been in the clearing, with the Cullens, practicing. They've been teaching us stuff. I promise, you'll be okay. I'm going to fight for you."

"I can fight for myself!" I defended.

"You can't. Not against them."

"I'm not leaving, I can't do this."

"You have to consider the idea that this might be better for you than staying here!"

"Jacob, you can't do this to me. There's a full moon tonight!"

"You have to. We'll find a way for you not to see it. A sleep mask, a pillow, something."

"This won't work."

"Come on, dress warm, it'll be snowing." He rushed. I was forced to do this.

"Snowing? Where are we going?"

"Just pack!" He yelled, going through my drawers. He threw me a dark blue V-neck thermal. I grabbed a pair of jeans and rushed into the bathroom, changing my clothes in record time. Back in my room when I was finished, I threw on a jacket and black slouch boots.

"How do you expect me to be in the snow? I'll be a fish-sicle."

"Don't touch the snow. You'll be inside a tent, or a cave, or something like that most of the time. You'll be fine."

"No, I'll be worrying the whole time."

"I promise you, I'll be fine." He kissed me. Beside me on my bedside table, my phone began to ring.

"No phone." He shook his head. It was Cleo. And I had to ignore it.

Inside the Cullen house, I sat on the bright red couch listening to the conversation between the pack and the Cullens. Jacob was standing up, leaning against the wall. Near him, the rest of the pack stood still with their arms crossed over their chest. At my feet, there was a small duffle bag containing a blanket and pillow. God, I didn't want to do this.

"So what the hell does this mean?" Jacob asked.

"It's going to be an ugly fight with lives lost." Carlisle put his hands together.

"We're in. As long as we get to kill some vampires." Jacob smirked to Edward, who simply kept the same expression on his face.

"And what's the plan?" I asked. Sam was getting frustrated with me. I could tell. I was a liability. Bella and I were targets.

"Go straight for the throat." Jasper, who was coordinating the fight, answered. Rosalie shook her head and groaned.

"This is ridiculous. I'm done talking about this." She got up and walked towards the kitchen. The room fell silent.

"What's with blondie?" Jacob asked.

"She's frustrated because she thinks this is a bad idea." Emmett replied.

"Well, it kind of is."

"Ariana, stay out of this." Sam growled.

"I'm not going to sit here and just let all of you sign your death sentences."

"Yeah, you're right, you're going to be sitting in the mountains doing it." Sam replied.

"Fine. If you want to kill yourselves, go right ahead." I got up from my seat and walked out, "I'll be outside if you need me." I mumbled to Sam, brushing past him. I walked out onto the long porch and began walking around it. I needed air, I needed a break. Why couldn't time just stop? At this point, I didn't care if Victoria came up to me right now and kidnapped me. I was so over people that I love going head over heels in risking their lives to protect me. I could protect myself, I had powers, I could protect everyone in that house and myself. I was strong, why didn't they think that? Maybe I was underestimating how powerful these newborn vampires really were. But still, I could protect myself under any circumstance. Walking around the wrap around porch I by mistakenly found Rosalie, leaning against the railing.

"What do you want?" She groaned.

"Trying to get away from everything just like you."

"Well can you do it somewhere else?" This girl didn't want me around. It was time to confront her on that.

"Rosalie, I don't understand what I did to ever make you hate me so much. Yes, I almost killed you, but that was by mistake. I've never hurt anybody. Not intentionally. But from my recollection, you hated me before that."

"I don't hate you," she sighed, "I don't particularly like you, but I don't hate you. I feel bad for you."

"What? How?"

"That you got tied into this. You were supposed to have a normal life. Well, as normal as being a fish girl could be," she quietly laughed, "but you were never supposed to be tied into being involved with werewolves and vampires This should never be part of anyone's life. Not even yours. You should be having a normal life—not worrying about vampires killing you and protecting yourself from something as simple as water."

"Well, there's sometimes I wish that I stayed normal, continued on a normal life where I could wash my hands without worrying if I could dry them in ten seconds or less. Sometimes I wish I didn't have to deal with any of this going on here in Forks, but then I think of how I never would have met Jacob. And if I never turned, I never would have had the most amazing adventures and I never would have met my friends. It all works out in the end."

"I assume that's a positive way of looking at it."

"You don't like being a vampire." I suspected, she didn't seem to happy with her life.

"No. I had such a perfect life before. Absolutely perfect. There were things I still wanted—to be married, have kids, and live in a gorgeous home that could fit triple the amount of people that were occupying it. But mostly I wanted a baby girl. I picked out the name and everything—Carolina. My life was one any girl would dream about. I was young, so I didn't know any better. Royce was the most perfect fiancé a girl could ask for, but I didn't know much about him. He had just moved into town, but he had baggage. And one night, after leaving my friend Annie's house late, he was a few blocks down from our apartment drinking with four of his friends. He was really drunk. When I tried to leave he started harassing me, then they all raped me, and beat me till I was almost dead. They left me in a dark and cold ally to die all-alone. Carlisle found me as I'm sure you assumed, he smelled the blood. And the worst part of it was, it was on the eve of my wedding."

"And that was it? No one ever found out about what he did?"

"Oh no, I got my revenge on him. All of them. I saved Royce for last, I killed them off slowly, let him suffer. He seemed to go crazy; he didn't know what was after them. He hired guards to sit outside his hotel room. He had gone insane. I put on my wedding dress, killed the guards, and burst through the doors. I swear, I've never seen someone so scared in my life. He was against the wall behind is bed with a beer bottle in his hand, quivering like a coward. But, I was a bit theatrical back then, I made him endure the same pain he put on me."

"You deserved to do that. He deserved everything you did to him."

"I regret nothing." She smiled, "I think it's time for us to go. They're planning on leaving in the next few minutes." She turned away and walked back into the house.

"Rosalie." I stopped her. She turned around, looking at me.

"I'm sorry."

"Let the past be the past." She raised her perfectly arched brows and disappeared into the house.

"You've got to be kidding me." I mumbled to myself, looking at my surroundings and analyzing the situation I was in. Evergreen pine trees and blankets of white snow surrounded us and my body was shaking from the twenty degree weather I was standing in. If the snow wasn't to packed tightly to the ground, it could go up to your ankles. My eyes wandering over to Bella, I could see her shaking and her teeth clattering. Edward was perfectly comfortable with his dress shirtsleeves rolled up halfway. It must be nice not to feel the temperature drop. Edward had just finished setting up a large tent for us to sleep in. According to Alice, the fight would be tomorrow early afternoon, so we only had to rough it for one night. Honestly, I didn't know how Bella was going to survive tonight, if the temperature dropped any lower I was almost positive she would turn into a block of ice.

"You okay?" From afar, I watched Edward go over to Bella and hug her. For once in her life, she broke away.

"You're freezing." She shook. Edward stepped away from her. Of course he was freezing, he had no blood inside him. He was a vampire, a 'cold one'. If Bella wanted to keep warm, she was going to have to stay by a fire and keep away from Edward. As much as I didn't like this girl, I couldn't let her freeze to death.

"If you could find wood, I could make a fire." I said, walking over to the couple with my arms crossed.

"Fine. I'll be back in a few minutes." Edward nodded, and walked off until he disappeared into the forest. Bella and I stood silently near each other, at a loss for words. I kept to myself, occasionally thanking God that the snowfall hadn't kept up.

"I know this might be awkward to say, but, if we have to spend the next day together, we probably should make it easy on ourselves." Yeah Bella, you were right, that was awkward to say.

"I don't exactly get where you're coming from."

"What I'm saying is, I don't get it. I know you don't like me, but you still came to me for advice earlier. And you don't seem to opposed to being within a few yards of me."

"I never said I hated you. I'm just not to fond of what you did to Jacob."

"I fell in love with Edward, I'd do anything to get him back. I'm sure you'd understand that."

"Completely, believe me if you didn't do that I never would have met him. But, for the record, leading someone on, when you know they're in love with you, is so wrong." I said, Bella murmured something back so quiet I couldn't hear.

"This isn't the time to talk about that though, our lives are at stake and if this is one of our last days, I'd rather be talking about something else than the past."

"You think we're going to die?"

"I don't know anything anymore."

"Are you really scared for Jacob? No, I'm sorry, that was a dumb question."

"I'm terrified."

"If it means anything, I am too."

"They won't let me help, I feel so powerless."

"I know the feeling. But Ariana, do you understand how strong these vampires are?"

"I'm getting the feeling pretty damn strong."

"I got bit my Victoria's boyfriend, James. It's not fun. I almost got turned into a vampire, you don't want to try it."

"Wasn't planning on it."

Hours later, Bella, Edward, and I sat inside the tent, which protected us from the harsh winter storm outside. Bella was huddled up in her blanket, two jackets, and beanie. She was fast asleep, dead to the world—letting go of all her problems. Every five or ten minutes, I'd heat up her hat and blanket using my powers. I also warmed up her blood the slightest bit, just to make her stop shaking so much. Edward, who apparently didn't sleep, was sitting up against one of the walls in the tent.

"You're going to turn her aren't you?" I broke the silence between the 110 year old vampire and I.

"I don't want that, I never wanted that."

"So why don't you stop her?"

"I tried. I left, that's when Jacob stepped in."

"Well, thank you for not staying away for another few months," I paused, "did you ever think of Jacob to be the better choice? She wouldn't have to change."

"I have considered that." He smiled, "he could have protected her and he could give her a life—a human life. That's all I wanted for her. But, I won't force her into anything. Last time I did that, both of us almost died."

"How?"

"She went cliff diving and Alice had a vision that she died. The moment Alice told me, I went insane, so I went to what we call the Volturi, you can say they are the government of the vampire society, and I tried exposing myself so they could kill me."

"All this because you couldn't live without her?"

"I love her."

"That's quite obvious." I smiled. Another blanket of silence overcame us. "When you thought she was gone, how'd you feel?"

"There were no words," he closed his eyes, "but I would never wish it on anyone."

"I'm scared to feel that." I admitted, my voice growing hoarse.

"Why do you feel that?"

"I'm scared, for Jacob, and my brother, and the pack. Even for you and your family. I'm terrified to lose anyone. I don't want any of you to lose anyone."

"I promise, they all have it under control."

"I hope so."

"I'll protect her no matter what. And even if you're allied with the dogs, I'll protect you too."

"Thank you."

"This may sound strange, but I'm glad you're here."

"And I'm glad you're here too, at least I'm not completely alone in this." I half smiled, looking to the floor and pulling up my blanket closer to my body.

"Jacob informed me about how you're not allowed to see the moon, why?"

"It's a mermaid thing. We become psycho if we see a full moon, and we won't remember a thing when we wake up in the morning."

"Well, it's a good thing I'm here then." He smiled, then his eyes glimpsed over to Bella, and they stayed there for a while.

The next morning, the snowfall had stopped and it had become just as cold as yesterday. The sky was a cloudless grey-blue, and it would be a perfect day to sit outside…if your life didn't depend on it. Coming out of the empty tent, I found Bella and Edward standing out there together. In the corner of my eye, I could see Paul in his werewolf form.

"What's going on?" I yawned, running a hand through my hair.

"It just started." Bella quietly answered. As hard as I tried to listen for any signs of a fight, I couldn't hear a thing. Edward and Paul were both tentatively listening for what was going on, as they concentrated on nothing but what was going through their minds.

"Is anyone hurt?" I asked. Edward shook his head, trying to keep concentrated. A few minutes later, Edward was the first to speak up.

"They don't know where she is" he paused, "she's not with them."

"Then where is she?" Bella asked.

"She's coming. I can hear here thoughts. Paul, go!" Paul nodded and ran off, kicking the powdery snow behind him. Bella got close to Edward, and I took a few steps closer to him. My heart was pounding in my head, this was it, no turning back. This was going to be the face off. We became quiet, our eyes becoming dizzy from looking everywhere so quickly.

"Edward," Bella whispered, "she found us."


	27. One Down, One To Go

**A/N: Yet another chapter! I've written a lot more of them lately, so excited for you guys to read them :] So sad that everytime I write another chapter I notice that it's just closer to the end! But I'm thinking of a sequal, don't worry babies! Anyways, heres another chapter. Review please? I've been getting a lot of favorite stories/favorite authors/alerts and stuff like that but guys, review! Please! **

_Chapter Twenty Seven:_

_One Down, One To Go_

_To Lose My Life by: The White Lies_

"She's not alone. She had my scent, she knew I was with you." Edward whispered to his girlfriend before we all became unnaturally still. A pale blonde boy around my age, possibly older, came out of the woods. The boy slowly walked towards us. Nearby, Victoria landed in a cat like position on a rock. Bella jumped, terrified by the sight of her.

"Wow, two for the price of one. And to think I was going to have to go looking for you." She spoke to me. I just looked into her blood red eyes, but I began feeling weak.

"Riley, listen to me. Victoria's just using you to distract me. She knows I'll kill you. This is just a distraction. Fact, she'll be glad she won't have to deal with you anymore." Edward told the boy. How did he know his name was Riley?

"Don't listen, Riley." The red headed vampire cooed, "I told you, they like playing mind games."

"I can read her mind, I know what she thinks of you." Edward truthfully told him. Riley began to look conflicted, torn between whether the vampire he fell in love with was telling the truth or the enemy was.

"He's lying." Victoria began to think that Edward was winning over Riley.

"She only created you and this army to avenge her true mate, James."

"That's the only thing she cares about. Not you." I said, copying Charlotte's heart breaking words.

"There's only you. You know that." Victoria's shaky voice said.

"Think about it, Riley. You're from Forks. You know the area, that's why she chose you. She doesn't love you. She never will." Damn, Charlotte was rubbing off on me.

"Riley, don't. Don't you dare listen to any of them. They're liars!" She hissed.

"She doesn't love you." I repeated, looking into his black eyes.

"You're dead, all of you. Starting with you, mermaid." He smirked, revealing his fangs. Before Riley could move, out of nowhere, Paul appeared in his wolf form, tackling Riley to the ground. Victoria took this as an advantage to get away smoothly.

"Edward." I alerted him, watching Victoria run off at an unnatural speed. Letting my emotions take over me, I let a wall of fire appear in front of her.

"You wont get another chance like this again, Victoria!" Edward yelled to her. She turned around and I let the fire disappear.

"You want her. You want both of them. You want me to feel the pain that you felt when I killed James. When I tore him to pieces. When I turned him into ash. _When I turned him into nothing_." He taunted. A groan escaped Victoria's mouth and she lunged herself at Edward. Soon enough, they were both tackling each other into the snow. After many kicks and punches were seen, I took Bella's hand and ran around to hide behind the thick pine trees.

"What do we do?" She heavily breathed, observing her boyfriend fight off a dangerous killer. As she had her eyes on Edward, I looked to Paul, who was no being kicked unconscious by Riley.

"Face her." I whispered with fear in my voice. My hands shook from a mixture of the cold and my nerves. About always I had a plan, and now was not the time to give up. Bella and I both watched as Riley and Victoria somehow fought their way to grab a hold of Edward. Once they did, they had a strong grasp and they were ready to snap his neck.

"Oh my god, no, no, no!" Bella whispered. I couldn't let this happen. Edward promised to protect me; I could do the least to protect him. I knelt to the ground dug through the snow, and quickly wiped my hands on my jeans, making sure no water was left on them.

"What are you doing?" Bella yelled as I ran out into the open. Pulling up my sleeve, Edward caught a glimpse of me as they turned his head to face Bella and I.

"Victoria!" I yelled with anger filling my voice. Riley and her glared up to me, knowing I had a plan literally up my sleeve.

"You want me? Come get me." I stood out in the open as a free target.

"Ariana, no." Edward grunted, barely able to move his face. It was to late. Using the sharp tip of the rock, I cut my forearm. Bright red blood began streaming down my arm and it dropped into the pure white snow. Their black eyes followed the blood all the way down; the two vampires were completely distracted. Edward took this as an advantage and he began attacking Riley. Hit after hit, he finally was able to throw him a coupe yards, and that's where Paul came in, biting into Riley's shoulder. One down, one to go.

"Victoria!" Riley yelled out in pain, Victoria simply sneered at him, showing no remorse for his pain. He repeated by calling her name multiple times until he was dragged away. She didn't spare him one last glance. Victoria turned her attention back to me, then Bella, who was standing far behind me. Her and Edward went at it again, but this time, he was winning. Lines appeared on Victoria's face as Edward strangled her. She was dying, and he knew it. Edward threw her into the snow and something happened that none of us thought would—she got right back up. Using her vampire speed, she ran quickly away from us.

"You ruined this." She looked to me in disgust. "I'll be back." She spat, and in seconds she was gone. In that same second, Edward was where she was standing .2 milliseconds before that.

"Damn it!" He yelled, kicking his foot into the snow. Bella's labored breathing caught up. Her greatest fear was still alive, and nowhere to be found. We just let Victoria get away. She got away! She was still out there! She was going to kill someone! Seconds later, Paul came up behind the snowy hill, and nodded his furry head, singling us to follow him. And we did. Once we were over the hill he appeared behind, a disgusting sight greeted us. Riley's ice-cold dead body was halfway buried into the snow. His head was turned to the side and his lifeless brown eyes were left open. Indicating with his head, Paul looked to me and then to Riley, and then to my hand. He wanted me to burn the evidence. Staring at Riley's motionless body once more, I balled up my hand and set the body on fire. I've never felt so low in my life. All four of us kept our eyes locked on the fire until Edward spoke.

"Alice says let's go." Edwards's hoarse voice said. He was so lost in his own thoughts, not believing that Victoria was the one to get away. Edward grabbed onto Bella's hand protectively and led up back to the clearing. Paul stayed next to my side and walked with me. I smiled weakly to my wolf friend.

"Thanks." I whispered to him, rubbing his head.

None of us had spoken a word in our journey from the mountains to the clearing. Bella was clinging to Edward's hand tightly and I was walking behind them, silently going over in my head what happened. My mind was shell-shocked—Victoria had gotten away. Why didn't I strike her with lightning? Or threw her down with wind? That could have slowed her down the smallest bit! We could have killed her. Now, she was still out there and wanted revenge more than ever. I was so dead. We were all so dead. The four of us had walked out of the mountains fairly quickly. Now, we were out of the snow and into the grassland, _finally_. The temperature had risen, causing Bella to stop shaking. It was still cold, don't get me wrong, but nothing compared to a night in the mountains. I'd never complain about the weather, minus the rain, again. As we walked along, I found Paul had stopped walking. Then so did I, turning my head to look at him, he seemed distant. Edward stopped, and then so did Bella. Paul let a growl escape his lungs and before I could say anything, his face shot up towards the sky and he loudly howled.

"What's going on?" I asked nervously. Edward looked out into the distance, reading the minds of his family members in the clearing. He had to know what was going on.

"Edward…"

"Something's wrong." He announced quietly.

"What?" I yelled. We weren't to far from the clearing, so I began running. Once we were over yet another hill, my brother, Quil, Embry, Jared, and Jacob came into view. The five of them stood there in their wolf form, and Paul was next to me, they were all okay! Without thinking, I counted the number of Cullen's their were—but their seemed to be two more than before. A ebony haired girl was clutching behind Esme, and the other unrecognizable human was facing my brother. The closer I looked, the more I realized, and that it wasn't a Cullen, it was a newborn. With it's blood red eyes gawking at Sam, my brother growled at him and leaped into air to attack.

"Sam, don't!' Edward yelled, using his vampire speed to run over, helping the pack. What was Sam thinking? He's going to get hurt! _Sam, you idiot, and you told me not to do something stupid._

Intervening with the fight between the vampire and my brother, Jacob came in and attacked the vampire fighting with him. Terrified, I watched them fight for a few more seconds until I heard a crack and watched the vampire lunge at Jacob. My boyfriend whimpered in pain and fell to the ground as a human. Coming out of nowhere, Jasper took care of the vampire by snapping his neck. It took a second for all of which just happened to sink in.

"Jacob?" I yelled, bursting into a full-blown run towards him. He yelled out in pain and turned onto his side. Edward was already beside him. Jacob's shorts were all torn up, splattered with blood.

"Hey, come on stay with us, Carlisle's here to take care of you." Kneeling to the ground next to him he opened his eyes. They were full of pain. They closed once again, and didn't dare open. They squeeed shut forcefully. He bit his lip trying to hold back his yells. Looking to the side closest to Edward, I watched blood drip out of his arm. Edward didn't dare to look at it.

"No, no, no." I whispered, shaking my head in disbelief. "Jacob come on." I pleaded. Carlisle was with us now.

"His ribs are shattered." Carlisle analyzed by one look.

"You idiot! I had it!" Sam yelled, walking towards us now in his human form. The pack followed closely behind him.

"Sam!" I barked, tears filling up in my eyes. Carlisle mumbled some words that only doctors would understand. Something about his bones and blood system, I couldn't understand—to many thoughts were racing in my mind.

"Get him out of here." Edward suggested.

"We'll take him back to Billy's." Sam agreed.

"No, Jake wake up." He could hear me. I took a hold of his hand and he weakly squeezed it. He was conscious, but barely. He was quickly slipping away.

"No, Sam, don't!" I yelled to my brother, who was helping the pack pick up Jacob, who wailed out in pain. Carlisle grabbed a hold of me, holding me back so I didn't do something ridiculously stupid.

'No Carlisle! Please!" I cried, watching them fade off until they vanished amongst the forest.

"You can't do this!" I begged; Carlisle let me go. The salty tears ceased streaming down my red cheeks. From the corner of my eye, I could spot the terrified raven-haired girl shaking behind Esme. Her large, blood red eyes looked at me with sympathy and curiosity. Somehow, I wasn't scared of her, she didn't seem dangerous enough to be a vampire. The Cullen's didn't seem too scared of her either.

"You've got to stay calm." Carlisle motioned to Jasper, who began to put a calming wave over me. No, not this, not now.

"Do not play with my emotions right now!" I barked, sending death glares towards Jasper.

"Is he gonna be okay? Please, I need the truth." Just as Carlisle opened his mouth to answer my question, Alice yelled from halfway across the field.

"They're coming." She gasped. It took a moment for him to regain his thoughts.

"Ariana, take my keys and go home." He dug into his pocket and put the keys to his Mercedes in my palm.

"Jasper, take her!" Carlisle demanded.

"Set the dead one on fire." He eyed the dead vampire who attacked Sam. Throwing my hand up, I started a fire around the dead body, and the flames soon engulfed it. Seconds later, Jasper had grabbed onto me and the forest was blurring past us. I didn't know how long it was before we stopped, but I felt dizzy—a mix of the nerves and motion sickness. Carlisle's car was parked suspiciously at the end of the forest.

"Go."

"What about you?" He pushed me into the car.

"Just go back to Sam's! No where else!" He demanded. I nodded nervously, and got buckled my seat belt. Jasper slammed the door and before I realized it, I was speeding off to Sam's. Engine snarling like a hunting panther, the car jolted forward so fast that my body slammed into the black leather seat. If I crashed this sixty thousand dollar car, it wasn't my fault.


	28. Here Comes Goodbye part 1

**A/N: Wow, is it possible I really haven't uploaded in almost a month? What is wrong with me -.- So instead of making this a big 5,000 word chapter, I decided to make it into a two partner. But if I get enough reviews today (like 3 or more) I'll upload the next chapter either later or tomorrow morning! It's all typed up and ready to go. I've kind of wanted to drag this story on since I think they're about like 7-10 chapters left. Something like that. I don't want to see the first set of this story end! I want to cry :[ Anyways, please review, I'd really appreciate it! **

_Chapter Twenty-Eight_

_Here Comes Goodbye (part 1)_

_Chapter Song: Here Comes Goodbye by Rascal Flatts_

These last few hours were spent nervously pacing the upstairs hallways. I'd look out the window ever so often to see if Sam's truck had pulled into the driveway, but it never did. I called my brother, Quil, Paul, Embry, and Jared multiple times. I even tried calling Jacob's phone, but there was no answer. They all seemed to ignore me, leaving me here alone with an infinite amount of questions eating away at my brain. Jacob was my boyfriend; I deserved answers with what was going on. I still wasn't sure what exactly happened. Carlisle never answered my questions; he forced me to leave the clearing! Emmett eventually came to the house, ready to take back Carlisle's car about three or four hours ago.

"What's happening with Jacob?" I had asked him when he arrived.

"Carlisle's there right now." He had replied, feeling sorry for me. I had handed him the keys.

"Have you heard anything?"

"You're going to have to talk to Sam or Carlisle." He had said to me before walking off to the car.

Hours passed, the sky grew dark, and the somewhat less than full moon rose into the sky. I continued to sit on my bed and check my phone every minute to see if I got a message from anyone. But, every time I laid eyes on the screen, it was always dead. Oh how I wanted to go outside all these hours, run to Jacob's house and make sure he was okay. But I couldn't, because if I stepped a foot outside without any protection, I'm sure my neck would be snapped—or chewed up, by Victoria. More than an hour ago, I had caved in and left my post to go downstairs and grab a bottle of water and a granola bar since I was feeling weak. The last thing I needed was to pass out. Since that didn't help, I took a bath to try to drown my feelings. That didn't help either. Somehow, it made it worse. The gash on my arm I had made with the tip of the rock in the mountains burned as it soaked in the warm water. I tried using my powers to cool it down, but it didn't work. Nothing seemed to work. I deserved the burning; I deserved the pain. I could have easily slowed down Victoria; I could have easily saved Jacob. I should have been the one attacked by him, not him.

Pressing the 'home' button on my phone, I was forced to stare at a blank screen for the seventeenth time within the hour. Nothing, there was nothing. No word whatsoever. Why did they feel the need to do this to me? I was being tortured by the silence. It was ripping away at my heart. Jacob had to be okay; he healed fast. A few broken ribs to him was like a paper cut. But then, why was he screaming so much while he was being carried away? Was it shock or was everything worse than I thought? My fingers drummed against my leg nervously, _but what if he wasn't okay? _They would have called me if he wasn't, they would have. My brother couldn't be that selfish to leave me like this if my boyfriend, the guy that I have fallen in love with, wasn't okay. As the thoughts raced across my mind, I could hear tires turning into the driveway. A small light hazed up from the first floor. I jumped off the bed and saw the headlights of Sam's truck come into the driveway. The moment he slammed the car door shut, they went off. Sam looked severely lost and upset, he probably found out about Victoria still being out there. I jumped out of my spot and flew down the stairs—eager to hear what was going on and why no one was answering my calls. Sam opened the door, his face filled with remorse and sorrow.

"Sam, you need to answer your phone for once." I demanded, leaning myself over the stairwell. Sam didn't seem surprised; he simply looked up and didn't say anything. I reached the bottom of the stairs and crossed my arms over my chest.

"What's going on? You guys can't leave me answerless!" My brows furrowed. I was ready for a reply like 'Jacob's fine, he's just resting' but Sam looked at me with sympathy.

"Sam…" My heart started racing. My brother gulped and put his arm forward.

"Here are the keys to my car. I want you to go to Billy's house to see Jacob." He gravely answered. My heart sunk into my stomach, it dropped into my feet. Sam would have told me if Jacob was severely ill, he would warn me. Jacob probably asked for me to come to keep him company while he was resting. Or maybe he just was to weak from fighting earlier.

_Or maybe you're just in denial._

Still extremely nervous, I snatched the keys out of Sam's hands and walked out the door without another word. My legs pushed faster and moved me to Sam's truck. I hopped in and forced the truck to reverse as fast as possible.

The truck raddled as it drove up the dirt path to Jacob's small, red house. Quil, Embry, Paul, Jared, and Sam stood shirtless outside while they guarded the house with Billy, who sat quietly in his wheelchair.

_Sam? What are you doing here?_

I just saw him at the house. The headlights lit them all up, and I was able to see the pained, sad expressions on their face. Cutting off the engine, I slammed the door to the truck the moment I was out of it. Taking a few steps forward, my body stopped when Jacob started screaming in agony from inside the house. My legs stopped working, I would have been in there in five seconds, but my brain wouldn't connect with my legs. It was like the time when Victoria was trying to attack me. I was so scared I couldn't move. My eyes widened and my heart sped up, the guys sensed my mini heart attack. They all just watched me like something was deeply wrong; something that I didn't know was going on. What hadn't Sam told me? _Or what didn't I realize happen back at the clearing?_

"It's been going on for a while." Quil broke the silence for all of us.

"The doc's been breaking his bones." Paul informed. Jacob screamed out again. My eyes traced over to Sam, who didn't dare look at me. His eyes shifted to the ground and he motioned with his thumb to go in. My brain clicked in, realizing the panic in my heart. I started out in a walk, but then I ran into the house—and then right into Carlisle. I gasped, and stumbled backwards.

"Carlisle." I breathed out, "what's going on? Did you help him?"

"He's been asking for you." Carlisle sighed, stepping past me. Was anyone going to answer my questions today? "I'll be outside if he needs me." He quietly notified. Noticing that there wasn't anymore screaming coming from Jacob, I thought—what if he died? He couldn't have died, he couldn't have. It was a few broken ribs and a cut! Nothing! Ignoring Carlisle's lack of discussion, I ran into Jacob's room. Jacob lifelessly laid in his bed. His body was covered in sweat, his head turned towards me. He was shirtless, his ribs all tied up with tape. His right arm was resting on top of his chest—his bicep also wrapped up in gauze and tape.

"Hey." He weakly greeted. I've never heard or seen him so fragile. He was so hot he was heating up the temperature of the room. I didn't answer Jacob; I was to astound. Ariana, snap out of it! Your boyfriend's sitting in front of you really sick, you've got to say something! But somehow, I couldn't. My body stood there, completely still, lips parted and eyes glued on Jacob.

"I was worried about you." He said in labored breaths.

"No…" I began, gaining my strength to speak, "Jacob, I-I don't understand, what's going on. I thought you healed fast."

"I told you," he stopped to breathe, "vampire venom is fatal to a werewolf." Vampire venom? But he couldn't have vampire in him unless…

"You got bit?" My world stopped. I stopped. My heart stopped. Everything stopped and the world stood still. Jacob was dying. He tried nodding, but his head barely moved.

"Jacob, no," I whispered, my eyes becoming watery, "They've got to do anything. Something. Can't Carlisle do something? The pack? My brother?"

"They tried to. I guess I'm not as perfect as you thought I was." He tried making a small laugh. It was useless. My head began spinning, unable to take in the amount of information.

"No, no, no." I panicked to myself, running a hand through my hair. _No!_ Heat shot through my veins, and a violent pounding in my heart was shaking me. I had never felt such an emotion as this in my life. People knew me as Ariana, the girl who was strong, caring, but feisty—she could fight for herself. And if anyone was to get in her way, there would be a problem. But she grew quite weak in the past couple months, realizing how mysterious the world she lived in was. But now, there was nothing. That was all gone. The emptiness was swallowing me alive; the agony was tugging at my heart. Jacob was dying, and there was nothing we could do. I wouldn't let him die, I swore by it. The situation slammed into my chest and I though I would have a panic attack. I forced myself out of the room, not wanting Jacob to see me like this. Quil, Embry, and Jared stood in the hallway while Billy, Sam, and Paul were talking to Carlisle with grim expressions upon their faces. Staring at me with deep expressions, I looked to the guys, shocked.

"He got bit? And you guys hid this from me for the past couple hours? The last few hours of his life?"

"Sam didn't want to tell you just yet."

"Just yet? He looks like he's going to die any second. There's got to be some way to stop this."

'His body can't break down the poison because it's to hot. It's just making it spread faster." Quil informed.

"No, no, no , this can't be happening." I paced, running my hand through my hair again. I had to think, there had to be a way to break down the poison. Medicine, something!

"His fever's rising, it's getting worse by the minute. It just won't break. It's the venom affecting his system." Embry looked down to the floor.

"A fever." I whispered, the three boys looking at me strangely, "what if he was cooled down?" I wondered, forming an idea in my head. Jared shook his head in disagreement.

"It's not possible. We tried cooling him off with ice; it melted instantly. It's getting higher by the second. Last time we checked he was at one thirty two. If he hits over one seventy, he's gone.

"So if his body temperature got cooled down to below a normal human temperature, he'd be okay?" They nodded their head.

"Well I mean if you put it that way—"

"Yes or no?" I shouted.

"Look, we wish there was something we could do. Were just as upset as you, we're losing our best friend, our brother. How do you think that makes us feel? We feel like we're dying ourselves." Quil's eyes were glassy. In fact, they looked like they were all crying. _No_. I wasn't going to lose my best friend and boyfriend. The idea that had popped into my head had become real the more I thought of it. A few weeks before I left for Forks, Emma had accidentally poisoned a horse named Rebel while at Ash's stable. Using her ice and snow powers, she had healed him. Jacob wasn't a horse, but just like Rebel, there was poison in his body. And the poison was spreading because he had a majorly high temperature, which was being made worse by the poison. It was possible that if I cooled down his body temperature cold enough, the venom could die. It was like how Emma helped that horse, expect this time it was on a half human half werewolf and this was my boyfriend, who meant the world to me. The three guys looked at me curiously, I hadn't said a word in who knows how long. Why was I taking so long? Running back down the hallway, I swung myself into Jacob's room. He was lying completely still on the bed, eyes closed. His injured arm had fallen limply to his side. He wasn't breathing, at least not from what I saw. I rushed to Jacob's side and kneeled down onto the floor. As I placed my hands on Jacob's chest, I didn't feel it moving. I silently screamed inside.

Thump…. thump…thump...

His heart was barely beating. It was weak; you could barely feel it's thumping. These were his final minutes. I wanted to scream out for him to wake up. I could have sat there for hours staring at him, expecting him to open his eyes and laugh about this, saying 'surprise, wow, you fell for that'. Why couldn't this be some sick joke he was playing? Shutting my watery eyes, I began concentrating before it was to late. Resting my head on my arms, which laid on Jacob's bandaged stomach, I started to think. Cold. Snow. Ice. Frozen. Cold. My hands brushed against the tape bound to Jacob's ribs. He didn't wince, he didn't yell, he didn't move. He was gone. _Think harder Ariana, this has to work,_ I cried to myself. My lungs didn't bother breathing; it took to much time. Under my arms, I could feel Jacob's burning skin start to cool down and feel normal, well, normal for Jacob that is. His flesh stopped burning my own and he kept getting cooler. I could easily be cooling his body off to a chilly 92 degrees Fahrenheit. It was six degrees lower than a human temperature and seven degrees above hypothermia, so he'd be safe. I could feel the presence of Quil, Embry, and Jared behind me, watching confused as I laid my head on top of Jacob. Cooler, just a little bit colder. It would kill the poison and I wouldn't be to late! I could save his life; this was actually going to work. Like I had warmed Bella's blood last night during the snowstorm, I did the same to Jacob's—except this was cooling it off. His temperature was ao high before that to this point, I was freezing his blood. Going from one hundred and thirty degrees to ninety-two was a big drop—a major drop. Finally, I could feel his skin grown cold. His blood was cold. Lifting my head up, I looked at Jacob's still face. It hadn't moved.

"Jake, come on, wake up." I shook his hand, why wasn't he answering me? Very funny joke Jacob, come on, let's go, wake up.

"Ariana…" Quil's voice cracked. My eyes were locked on Jacob. Why isn't it working? It was supposed to work! It had to work!

"It didn't work." My voice was quiet; it was possible I didn't even speak my words.


	29. Here Comes Goodbye part 2

**A/N: Hi! Thanks for the reviews :] Here's part 2! This was so hard writing, I wanted to add as much detail as ever. And as far as Ariana's dream, I just wanted you guys to know that it's based off the music video for 'Stop an Stare' by OneRepublic. Love that song, and music video, and the group! But the music video helped me relate a lot of things and fears Ariana's been going through in some trippy way. Im weird like that :P Enjoy my lovelies!**

_Chapter Twenty-Nine_

_Here Comes Goodbye (part 2)_

_Chapter Song: Here Comes Goodbye by Rascal Flatts / Katherine's Theme by Michael Suby_

I sunk down, me legs folding under my body. They ached, not being able to hold my weight up. I slid down to my side and hit the floor. Nothing kicked in at first. My stomach hurt as the sickening feeling set in like a rock at the bottom of it. My body felt like it was hit with a five hundred pound weight. Though the news didn't fully sink in at first, but my heart began aching more by the second. Slowly, the pain was growing and growing till it was about to consume me. My lungs let out the breath I had been holding in, they burned. It was like I forgot how to breathe, like I didn't want to. Bending my legs upward, I wrapped my arms around them tightly. Why couldn't I have taken his place? If I had gotten bitten instead of Jacob, I wouldn't have died. Maybe I would have turned into a vampire, or maybe I would have just lost a lot of blood, but I wouldn't have died.

Dead.

It was such a strong word. Death had taken the life of Jacob. Scratch that, a vampire had taken the life on my boyfriend. He was gone. He was _dead_. Still standing by the door, the three boys stood there speechless—lips parted and eyes watering. Never in my life had I seen a guy cry before, not even my own father when he was still with us—but they were on the verge of it. You couldn't blame them. They'd lost their best friend, their brother, a member of their pack. No one called for Carlisle, or Sam, not even Billy. We knew he was gone. My eyes stung as salty tears welled up to the top. I sat there, in the uncomfortable silence, letting my eyes look at Jacob's lifeless body. They shifted away from staring at him to just gaze out in front of me. There was no way I'd be able to look at my boyfriend with him being dead. My lips parted and trembled. My throat couldn't form words, so I easily closed my mouth and pursed my lips shut into a thin line. My brown eyes burned as the first tear rolled down my cheek, and many more followed. I shut my eyes, letting the tears trickle down my face. For the first time ever, my powers had let me down. They failed me and I failed Jacob. My heart had fully sunken into my stomach. I hated crying in front of anybody, but at this point I couldn't care anymore. Opening my mouth, I took in a shaking breath, and it came out as a quiet sob. My head bowed down, not wanting to look or see anything anymore. Jacob was gone. He had passed on from us. Deep in the back of my mind, I kept thinking that he'd jump up and yell 'surprise! Wow, I got you good'. But as the moments passed on, I realized that he was dead. He'd taken his last breath and his heart was done beating. The realization began striking my mind. I would never get to have another conversation with him, there'd be no more hand holding, kisses, leisurely swims, hugs.

No more Jacob.

I hated my powers. I hated being a mermaid. I hated what the Moon Pool had given me. This wasn't a gift—it was a curse. While my eyes stayed glued shut, burning in my salty tears, one of the guys coughed and groaned beside me. One of them was crying, but I couldn't tell which one. Slowly lifting my weak head and opening my glassy eyes, I realized all three guys were in the exact spot they were before, and none of them was crying. None of them said a word. In fact, they looked seemingly surprised and confused. Their mouths agape, they were staring at Jacob. _How could you stare at your dead friend, could you be that bold?_ Unwillingly, my eyes traced their gaze back to Jacob's dead body to find it—not so dead…

Jacob coughed, grabbing a hold of his ribs that rattled inside his body. Jacob was coughing. He coughed! Coughing could only mean…Jacob was breathing!

"It's freezing in here." His raspy voice spoke up. His teeth clattered together. Embry snorted a laugh, and then other two followed by doing the same.

"Yes! " They cheered, high fiving each other in celebration. Jacob weakly furrowed his dazed brows, confusion flooding his mind. Thank you God. Thank you powers. They had finally come through, and they saved Jacob. Letting out a breath of relief, I felt like the world was lifted off my shoulder. Opening my mouth to speak, words couldn't come out. Instead, I jumped up and hugged the very alive Jacob, kissing him for however long. I didn't care how long it was or who was watching. Jacob was alive and the poison had died. I'd taken everything I said about my powers back. I loved them. Having them was a gift, they were perfect, I'd never think anything bad about them again. After breaking my kiss with Jacob, the guys picked me up and swung me around, constricting me in a hug.

"You did it!" They yelled out in joy, still laughing at the turn of events.

"Quil? Embry?" Billy called from outside.

"You did it!" They put me down on the ground. I leaned myself against the wall closest to Jacob and sunk to the floor with another breath of relief, emotionally drained from what just happened. I leaned my head against the wall, and a smile appeared on my lips—something I thought I wouldn't be seeing for a while. My right hand wrapped around my mouth unable to explain the feelings that were coming over me, while my left hand was squeezed into Jacob's cold temperature one. He sat up, his face looking a hundred times better than before. His color had returned to his body, and he didn't look as sick, but he still looked weak.

"What's going on?" Sam yelled running anxiously to the room, Paul right on his tail. Carlisle was right behind the two, and so was Billy, who struggled to get his wheelchair to wheel fast enough. Finally reaching the doorframe, shocked expressions were fashioned on their faces.

"But…" Paul looked at his friend.

"What?" Sam asked, shocked.

"Your sister! Ariana's a genius!" Quil said with a laugh.

"How are you feeling?" Carlisle smiled, walking in here being suspicious of Jacob's well being.

"Sore but much, much better." Jacob sat up. Still in pain, he held his ribs with his good arm. Carlisle's hands touched Jacob's bad arm, and pulled back, surprised.

"Wow, you're almost as cold as me." Carlisle snickered, beginning to unwrap Jacob's bandage that covered his bite. Revealing the bite where the deadly venom entered his body. There was a large gash, but it looked as if it was already beginning to heal. Carlisle re-wrapped the wound and checked Jacob's pulse and temperature.

"Everything seems alright, minus the broken ribs," he turned to me, "I don't have a clue of what you did, but, good job." He smiled, flashing his pure white teeth. Paul and Jared raised up their hands and high fived each other. _Slap_, their palms made contact.

"So he's all good?" Sam asked.

"Looks like my job here is done." The vampire clapped his hands together.

"I'll be seeing you all tomorrow afternoon as we said?" He raised his brows. Sam slowly nodded his head in agreement. With one last flashy smile, Carlisle went to walk out of the room, the pack stepping out of his way.

"Oh, Ariana, may I speak with you?" He looked down to my place on the floor. I nodded my head silently. Quil took a small step forward and reached his hand out to help me up. With the help from Quil's strength, I was up and following Carlisle out of the room in less than a second. Billy mouthed me a grateful 'thank you' and I nodded my head as a gesture of a 'you're welcome'. After I stepped out of Jacobs' room, the pack began talking with him. I stopped to try to listen really quickly.

"What do you mean I can't go?" Jacob, voice still croaking, asked.

"Ariana." Carlisle softly alerted from down the hallway. I turned my head around then walked to him.

"Sorry." I apologized.

"How did you help him? I'm just curious."

"There was a situation back in Australia where my friend poisoned a horse and cooled down its body with her ice powers. So, even though Jacob's not a horse, I figured I could take a shot at it."

"So there are more of you. I thought Rosalie and Emmett only said it was just you." A smile grew on his face.

"No. I-I meant that my friend poisoned the horse and I fixed him."

"But you said _her_ ice powers." He caught onto my lie. I opened my mouth to come up with yet another lie, but for some reason, my mind couldn't come up with one and I stood there speechless.

"Please don't tell them." I begged, making an attempt to read his expression to see if he would lie to me or not.

"Your secret's safe with me." His lips formed into a soft smile. It seemed as if he was telling the truth, "however, this wasn't what I wanted to speak with you about. I haven't spoken to Edward or even Bella yet since I've been hear all afternoon, what happened with Victoria? I'm aware of her escaping, but what exactly happened during the fight?"

"She sent a man named Riley to come distract Edward, but it didn't work. Paul attacked Riley and something happened but eventually they both got a hold of Edward and I distracted them. After, Paul attacked Riley again and finally killed him and after Edward fought Victoria, she ran off and threatened me. It's fairly hazy, Edward might be a better witness."

"How'd you get the gash on your arm?" He asked, not even looking down. I had a long sleeved shirt on, how did he know?

"How did you—"

"I'm a vampire, I could smell that a mile away." His lips curled up. I shook it off.

"That's how I distracted them." I admitted, Carlisle's brows rose.

"That was very risky."

"Edward promised to help me. It was the least I could do for him."

"That was brave. You could have gotten yourself killed."

"I know."

"Thank you then. For risking your life for my son."

"You're welcome. It was nothing, really." He nodded his head and looked down to the floor.

"Well than, I've better get going. It's been a long day. Do me a favor and give me, or Edward, or Alice a call later so we're aware how Jacob's progress is, alright?"

"Of course. And Carlisle. Thank you, for everything." Carlisle gave me a sweet smile before disappearing into the night.

"Heat it up, will ya'?" Embry asked me as we made hot chocolate and coffee to keep us awake. He held out the white mug filled to the hop with creamed coffee. Balling my hand, I watched steam rise from the liquid. In the living room, we could hear a door open and slam shut.

"There you are." Embry stuck his head out from the kitchen as Sam walked in the front door with my varsity duffle dangling from his shoulder. Putting my hot chocolate down on the counter, I walked towards my brother. He threw the bag at me, only so I caught it awkwardly with both hands. Filled in the duffle bag were pajamas, clothes for tomorrow, a toothbrush, toothpaste, makeup, and a hairbrush. Sam, on the way to drop off Billy at Police Chief Charlie Swan's house, stopped by his own house and grabbed a couple of my things since I decided on staying the night with Jacob. Embry shoved a handful of pretzels in his mouth. I tossed the duffle bag next to the beige sofa.

"How is he?" Sam asked, checking his phone for any messages from Emily. I wrapped my cold hands around my mug.

"He's still really weak. But who can blame him? He technically just died. He didn't have a heartbeat or pulse." Embry swished the coffee around in his cup.

"Quil and Jared are in there with him right now. They gave me a break."

"Go eat something, you look pale."

"I'm just tired, that's all."

"Go get some sleep on the couch. I do it all the time, it's comfy." Embry smiled half-heartedly.

"No, really, I'm fine. I'll go get something to eat and then go back with Jacob. It's okay."

"If you say so. I'm going to go check on him. See how he' doing and apologize for being pushy. I'll be back." After Sam walked out Embry and I looked at each other.

"Wow, Sam apologizing for being pushy. That's new."

"I've never seen that happen in my life, I need to see this." He replied, following Sam out of the room. I took myself back into the kitchen and drank another sip of my hot chocolate. My body felt jittery, my nerves were on edge. How could you ever feel normal again after seeing your boyfriend die? And then come back to life? I never felt normal before, but today's events changed me. After thinking he was gone, all I wanted to do was lock myself up somewhere and never come out. Losing someone you truly loved was the worst feeling I've ever gone through. And I don't plan on doing it again any time soon. I stationed myself in the small kitchen and tried listening in on the loud chatter coming from Jacob's room. I could barely make out every few words. A phone rang and got louder as one of the boys pulled it from his shorts pocket. Remembering I had a phone and was allowed to use it, I pulled it from my pocket. The amount of missed calls and texts from Emma, Cleo, and Rikki made me think that they thought I died, or disappeared the face of the earth. I'd call them, but later. There were so many emotions consuming my brain and heart I didn't want to talk to anyone but Jacob. Not even my best friends. Minutes later, after mumbles of talking coming from Jacob's room, the pack, minus Jacob, came rushing out.

"Okay so who's going to stay here with them?" Sam asked.

"What's going on?" I asked, walking in on them.

"Carlisle just called us. They saw Victoria somewhere in the woods."

"So you're leaving?"

"One of them will stay with you and Jacob."

"It's fine I can take care of him myself." I said, and as if I could see the future I already knew his answer.

"No." He plainly replied. Gee, almost as if I was physic.

"Sam, I can take care of myself. You guys need to go, so go."

"Really? And what are you going to do if a vampire shows up? Jacob's not strong enough to do anything."

"There's going to be more of a problem if you all don't go and find her because she wants to kill me and Bella. So what's it going to be?" Sam was silent for a moment.

"Fine." His deep voice sighed, "but one of us will still be around here." I nodded my head. As the guys piled out of the house, Sam looked back at me.

"Please call any of us if there's a problem."

"Of course." I agreed and watched him shut the door. A surge of terrible feeling went through my spine and to my stomach. Here we go again. That dreaded feeling came back and settled in the pit of my stomach. What if I never saw them again? Victoria could easily rip one of them to shreds, bite them, or snap their necks. That was the last time I could have spoken to anyone. They had the Cullens with them, of course they were going to be okay. It was twelve against one, there was no way she was getting out alive. Of course, she was fast and strong. But with seven vampires and five werewolf's chasing her, would there be any chance for yet another getaway? _Shut up, Ariana_, I told myself. When I walked back into Jacob's room, his eyes were shut and his chest was slowly rising up and down. He was asleep. I slid down to my spot on the floor beside Jacob's bed. The room was eerily silent, except for Jacob's breathing, which oddly enough calmed me down. Inside my pocket, my phone began ringing it's incisive default ringtone. Not wanting to disturb Jacob, I quickly slid it out of my pocket and pressed it to my ear. What did Sam want now? He left five minutes ago.

"Hello?" My voice was quiet, but not a whisper. Jacob looked to be in a deep enough sleep to not hear me.

"Ah, so she decides to answer the phone." Rikki greeted. Rikki, I absolutely love you as my sister, but not now. Not today.

"Sorry, hi."

"Where have you been? We've been worrying about you, thought the moon got to you but then we realized that it probably should be rising right about now."

"Rikki, the moon rose last night."

"Yeah, for us. Yours is tonight, it's the noon the next day over here."

"Oh," I was silent for a second, "I thought it was last night."

"Not good! What are you going to do?" Rikki worried.

"I don't know, there's nothing to do at this point." My voice sounded depressed, almost monotone.

"Hey, are you okay?" She wondered.

"Yeah." My voice cracked.

"Ariana…"

"I'm sorry." I apologized, wiping a tear from my cheek.

"What's going on?"

"The last couple of days have been really hard."

"Like what?"

"It's a very long and complicated story, but I've got to go. I promise I'll call you soon."

"Ariana—" Rikki tried to persuade before I hunt up. Without me being thousands of miles in Australia, I already knew what her reaction was. 'She just hung up on me' she would agape. She always had the same response when Emma or Cleo would hang up on her. I slid my phone back into my pocket and sat in the silence for a minute.

"Are you ever going home? Not that I don't want you here, you've just been through enough today. You need some sleep." Jacob opened his eyes, looking down at me.

"I thought you were asleep."

"In and out. So, I hear there's a full moon tonight?"

"Yeah, so that gives me an excuse to stay here anyways, not that I would leave even if there wasn't one."

"Come on, get in bed. It's got to be more comfortable than the floor." Without fighting, I agreed. I slipped myself into Jacob's twin sized bed and he cuddled against me. For the first time today, I felt safe and comfortable. All my worries of Victoria coming to kill me faded away.

"You okay?" He tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear. "Wait, no, dumb question."

"No," I sighed, "A vampire wants me dead and I saw you die. So no, I'm not okay."

"But I'm here, right? And it's all thanks to you."

"You were gone, and it didn't work, and it was—I can't even explain how I felt."

"Hey, don't think about that, I'm here." He lifted his head up and kissed me on my cheek. I turned my head around and his lips pressed against mine.

"And as for Victoria, she won't ever hurt you. We'll be together every second of the day, nothing will happen to you. I swear."

"I love you." My voice cracked, still having the mental picture of Jacob's dead body permanently buried into my mind.

"I love you too." He pecked me on the lips again. A smile faintly raised on my lips. I turned away from Jacob and closed my eyes, feeling him press up against my head. He draped his good arm over me, making it feel like I had a security blanket wrapped over me. We both quickly fell asleep, still many things on our mind.

It was early sunset, or late daybreak, i couldn't tell. The lowly hung sun was glimmering so bright the sky looked eerily white. Behind me, you could see different shades of white, light yellow, and gold blend together to form the sky. If you'd look far enough, you could see starbursts from staring at the golden sun that sat along the horizon. Every step my feet took was uncomfortable and unknown. Nearby, an owl hooted in a bare tree. It was then I realized I wasn't in Forks anymore. I was walking in a desert—similar to those I've seen in New Mexico or California. There was no way I was still in Forks, let alone Washington State. I was somewhere in the mid-west, and I wasn't so sure how or when I got here. The hard and dry desert dirt under my black pumps was plastered to the ground. Looking behind me, wondering where the owl had come from, I could see its silhouette in a bare desert tree far off my path; tumbleweeds and dead brush stayed by the their trunks. The bright sun blinded by eyes. Dry prickly bushes brushed against my bare legs. Looking down, I came across that I was wearing a simply black short-sleeved dress that stopped a few inches after my thigh. Was this even in my closet? As I walked on in the bizarre setting of the bared land, three scenes flashed before my vision. It was like three quick scenes playing out like a movie: one was of two hands clasped together, the other was of a dark red color, and the last one was a pair of hands pushing down on tanned skin. As quickly as the three scenes popped into my vision, they left. The weirder thing was—I didn't seem to care. My legs kept walking forward. It was as if my body was being pulled towards something. My feet stopped when my eyes laid sight on a Preacher, with five men behind him dressed in black hoodies and black jeans. I wasn't able to see who the five men were; the hoods shadowed their faces. The preacher stood beside an open hole, eyes closed and giving motions with one of his hands. Clasped in one hand was a small bible, and he was mouthing the words. My feet took two more steps towards the rectangular hole in the ground. Beside it, was a pile of dirt and rocks, and a dirty shovel. Two more scenes reeled before my eyes—a red liquid dropping on a surface and a familiar silver locket behind clung to by a hand. My eyes wandered down into the hole, it was buried ten or more feet into the ground But there was something else in this hole that didn't make it an ordinary random hole. Inside, was a wooden casket. This hole was an open grave. And the preacher was delivering a eulogy.

I looked up to the old preacher, his white scraggily hair and beard barely moving in the slight breeze. His hand motions didn't dare to stop, but the hoods of the five men behind him were taken down.

"Sam?" I recognized, but no words came out of my mouth. I couldn't talk. My vision blacked out and all I could see was a fire, then bright red iris' staring into me. Once my sight was back, I noticed something beside the grave—a gravestone. Etched in the stone was the name 'Jacob Black'. On the next line it, it read '1993-2011' and on the next, 'In loving memory of a perfect son, friend, boyfriend, and brother'. This wasn't any ordinary grave…this was Jacobs grave. My eyes gawked from Sam, to the preacher, to the headstone, and lastly to the casket. More of these visions kept coming. The first one was an underwater scene, it was just of water moving. That was all I could see. Then the scene switched so it wasn't possible I was underwater, all my eyes could see was the flicker of red and orange flames. The scene disappeared. The depressing grave just filled my sight. Before I knew what I was doing, I felt my legs back up, I couldn't control them, but I knew I couldn't stay here. My legs began running as fast as they could, pushing me away from the dreaded sight of Jacob's deathbed. Every time I turned around to see how far away I was getting from Sam and the grave, uncanny scenes flashed before my eyes.

A door slowly closing, locking out all light that came into an unknown room, a headshot of a hooded figure in front of a fire, and a locket dropping into water.

My legs drove faster, my high heels finally caught in the ground. I tumbled down and landed on the floor, my hands bracing my fall on the hard dirt. As I hit the floor with a thump, of course, more scenes came across my mind.

Red eyes, a hand brushing against the dead tweeds that were once bushes, they burst into flames, Jacob's headstone, and lastly a hand, my hand, placing a red rose on some dirt filled grave.

What were these dreams? The past, the present, the future?

My eyes readjusted to the setting in front of me, all the brush was on fire. I was surrounded, trapped in a fiery ring. My right arm, propped under my head, stuck out. It could feel the heat from the fire. My eyes glanced up, seeing Jacob next to me, His body was in opposite with mine, faced the other way. But his head was at level with my own, and our eyes locked. We didn't speak; we weren't able to. We stared at each other. Four more scenes went before my eyes. The first one was of the hooded figure from before, the fire masked as the background for it. The face looked up and slid off the hood from its head, and the figure was…me. The next thing I saw was myself running and turning around in slow motion. It was something you would see in the movies. The setting switched to me in a dark motel room. I was sitting on a bed and my hands were faced palm out. A fire started rising from the palms. The last thing that played before my eyes was another scene of me. I was lying down in the same position I was in now, but this time, there was a gravestone behind me. And the gravestone was for me.

My eyes shot open and my heart jumped at an excessively unhealthy beat. I was back in bed with Jacob, in his house. That was all a dream, a trippy, scary, unimaginable nightmare. Jacob's arm was still wrapped around me, telling me that I was still safe. He was still alive, I could feel him breathing, a sign that his heart was still very well breathing. My mouth was parched, I needed to get up and get water. Maybe some tea would help calm down my nerves, anything really. Slowly lifting Jacob's arm off of me, I swung my legs over the side of his bed and looked at the clock. It was one-thirteen AM; I'd only been sleeping for a little more than two hours. The bed squeaked under me as I got up, but thankfully it didn't wake Jacob. I tiptoed out of the room and into the hallway. The wooden floors creaked beneath my feet. In the living room, I could hear the door squeak and quietly shut, the locks coming together.

"Sam?" I called, stopping in my tracks. Was this a bad dream? Maybe it was a dream inside a dream. Great, another one. I walked into the living room to find it untouched and nobody in it. The wind outside hit the door, causing me to jump. It was windy, that was all. Behind me, the floors creak. Jacob must have gotten up. I turned around to ask what he was doing out of bed, but when I opened my mouth to speak, I closed it immediately. My eyes widened in fear. He wasn't there, but Charlotte was. A gasp escaped my mouth, my heart racing.

"Hello, Ariana." She immediately said, with a sickening smile glued to her red lips.

"Goodbye, Ariana." A voice said from behind me, making me turn on my heel. Victoria. Before my brain could signal to my feet to run or to call Jacob for help, Victoria used her vampire strength and slapped my face, sending me to the floor. I shrieked, my head hit the wooden floor with a loud bang and my vision slowly clouded over and turned black.


	30. Abduction

**A/N: OKAY! VERY IMPORTANT AUTHOR NOTE! I know nobody likes reading these, but important for this chapter. You'll be seeing three different points of views in this chapter: one from Jacob, one from Ariana, and the other from Alice. So tell me if its to confusing! The next few chapters there will only be two points of views: Ariana's and Jacobs. It's crucial. This chapter was hard to write, but I hope it turned out good! Anyways, just for future chapter references and such, I'd modified the twilight vamps a little bit. Just a little! It wouldn't have worked if (like in the original twilight) if a vampire bit a human, they'd turn into a vampire. You guys probably won't like this, but it'll be a lot more like The vampire diaries where the vampire has to give a human blood then kill them to become a vampire. Anyways, please enjoy this chaper and review! **

**And for review Sappfire: nope! Wasn't a dream! As you can see in this chapter! *end of terribly long authors note***

_Chapter Thirty:_

_Abduction_

_Chapter Song: 1864 by Michael Suby_

**Jacob's POV:**

A familiar male voice was infiltrating my deep sleep. Whoever it was, was going to be punched in the face if they didn't get their hands off of me and stop shaking me awake. God damn it, let me sleep! Whatever the person was saying, it wasn't understandable. They were muffled mumbles. When I finally woke up, I groaned loudly.

"What?" I growled.

"Dude, wake up." Quil.

"What?" I pried open both eyes.

"Where's Ariana?"

"Ariana?" In the back of my mind, I could hear Sam call somewhere far away in the house.

"She's…" I looked down to the space in the bed she was in earlier. But, it was empty.

"She was right here." My brows pushed together. Where'd she go?

"When was the last time you saw her?" He frantically asked me. Letting my eyes adjust to the brightness of the room, I looked to the alarm clock sitting on the floor. It was four something.

"I don't know, like ten? Eleven? I don't remember." I sat up, seeing it as Quil wasn't going to leave anytime soon.

"Jake, where'd she go?"

"She's not here?" Getting up from my bed, I realized I wasn't hurting nearly as bad anymore. Wow, Ariana was really a miracle worker. My head was still foggy from all the painkillers Dr. Bloodsucker had given me, so I wasn't fully aware how bad this situation was.

"No! We just got back and the front door was wide open." Open? That means she saw the full moon. Which means…

"Were any of the windows open?" I turned on my heel, facing my friend. My brain was finally connecting to the dire emergency of the situation.

"Uh, maybe? I don't know." He stuttered. I rushed into the living room to find the shades closed, but you could easily see the light from the large full moon peaking through. There was no sign of struggle, no blood, but there was the smell of vampire. But, the rest of the pack had been chasing and fighting vampires all day, so that explained that. Ariana was moonstruck.

"Where is she?" Sam's hefty voice demanded an answer. He was pissed.

"Shit." I mumbled, running a hand through my short hair.

"Nothing?" Jared walked in, taking a sip from his Gatorade bottle.

"She saw the moon." The pack stood there like I had just said something as stupid and obvious as 'you're back' or 'we're werewolf's'. 'Okay, it's a moon, big deal, Jake' it was almost like I could hear Paul's thoughts. I'd usually find their expressions hilarious, except the situation we were in didn't call for laughter.

"So?" Sam asked, his eyes squinting, brows furrowed together.

"She's not exactly herself right now. She won't remember any of this and right now, she's pretty dangerous to herself and anyone near her."

"Where is all this coming from? I've never heard of any of this."

"The reason she was in Australia was because of that. She could kill someone!"

"You didn't see or hear anything?" Embry asked.

"Would she be gone right now if I did?" I barked.

"That damn bloodsuckers out there and so is she." Paul crossed his arms over his chest.

"Someone call the Cullens." Embry directed. My eyes shifted down to the red gym bag peaking out behind the side of the couch. I could smell her clothes, her perfume

"Damn it!" I yelled, my body beginning to shake. I took myself outside.

"Jake, what are you doing? You're still in no condition to go out yet!" Jared called after me.

"I'll deal with it." Pushing my legs faster, I let myself turn into a wolf. My destination: the beach. It was every mermaid's home.

-line break!-

I sauntered back into my house after running back from the beach. A nervous feeling pinched my stomach, making me feel queasy. Ariana wasn't at any beaches, I'd search every one in La Push for more than an hour and a half. There could have been a strong possibility she was back in Australia. Hell, she could have been in China, or Fiji by now. The Cullens were still tracking Victoria, so there was no problem involving her, which seemed quite strange. Now, just where was Ariana? The moon had officially set and somewhere off into the distance, the sun was peaking out behind the mountains. The sky was still dark, but there was a wash of relief coming over me knowing the moon was set.

"Anything?" Quil asked, Embry glued to his side.

"No." I let out a heavy breath I'd been holding in, "she should be un-moonstruck by now though." I sat on the barstool and slapped my phone on the kitchens bar countertop.

"That's better. So she'll be waking up out of whatever freaky trance she was in. She should be calling you to go buy her a plane ticket out of England any second now." Embry cracked a smile. I looked up at him and gave him that 'don't-start-with-me-or-you're-dead' look.

"Sorry, sorry." He raised his hands pantomiming as if he got caught red handed.

"Pour me a cup, will ya?" Quil asked Embry, staring at the coffee beside him.

"I just don't understand. Why would she be in the living room? She was in my room the whole time."

"Was your window open?"

"No, curtains were shut. I just don't get it."

"It is pretty weird. I don't know how you can deal with all this mermaid stuff." Quil downed a cup off coffee.

"Just like how Claire's dealing with your werewolf stuff."

"Strange comparison."

"How the hell is th—" I stopped mid sentence when my BlackBerry began ringing. The screen lit up with the words 'Incoming call' and underneath, it read the name I've been waiting to hear from for hours.

Ariana.

"Please don't tell me you made a surprise visit to Australia again." I smiled, joking with her as I answered the phone. Behind me, Quil and Embry mumbled to each other. On the other side of the line, I mysterious familiar voice did a quick, wicked laugh, as if she thought that was a funny joke. Could that have possibly been Rikki or Cleo, her best friends in Australia?

"Not exactly." Horror flickered into my eyes when, in that moment, I realized that the phone call wasn't from Ariana.

**Ariana's POV:**

Throbbing. Darkness. Something beating, beating, beating…

Whatever it was, it hurt my head. My muscles moved to put my fingers up to my head, but my body didn't move an inch. I tried opening my eyes, but they stayed shut. Actually, I didn't know if my eyes were open or closed. What day was it? In fact, what month were we in? Where was I? There was a fuzzy memory of me being held by someone, was that there my body was lying? Maybe I was back home in my bed. But, where was home? I could barely remember that my name was Ariana, or that I lived on the outskirts of Forks, Washington on the La Push Reservation with my brother…whose name wouldn't come to my mind. In the back of my mind, I knew something was dearly wrong. There had to be a reason I couldn't open my eyes, move my muscles, or remember the most important things in my live. As my mind tried recalling certain memories, I drew a blank. I couldn't even remember the fact of I was hiding the biggest secret in the history of secrets. What was my secret? Whatever it was, it probably got me into this mess. I didn't know where my phone was, and I didn't have a clue of where my boyfriend could have been. Actually, did I have a boyfriend? Of course I did, his name was Jack—no, Jacob. And I loved him. Did he love me back? I knew there was something different about him, I just didn't exactly know what that something was. Not knowing anything was killing me.

What had happened? Where was I? Who was I? It shocked me to question, but the only thing I could remember was my own name.

Ariana, I repeated in my mind, trying to jog a few other memories. Somehow, that jogged a memory. 'Goodbye, Ariana' a voice had said before I stopped remembering everything. That voice…it belonged to someone with fiery red hair. No, there were two people there. They had both said my name, but who were they? The glimpses didn't help me, but at least they gave me an idea. But what the hell was going on? Finally, my eyes flew open, my head throbbing so that I could hear it pulse in my ears, like a marching band drum. I looked at my dark surroundings. Everything was blurry and fuzzy, but like a flip of a light switch, a few memories flickered to life.

My boyfriends name was Jacob, and he was a werewolf, as was my brother Sam. As for me, I was a mermaid. And I'm sure my secret had gotten me into the trouble I was in. Sam and Jacob probably didn't realize I was gone yet, but maybe they were behind this? No, of course not, whoever was behind this had red hair. Did I know anyone with red hair?

So I hadn't been dreaming that whole time? Someone, two someone's, had been in Jacob's house while we were there. My eyes darted down to see I was placed in an uncomfortable wooden chair. My hands were restrained by shackles, locking around my wrist and into the arms of the splintered chair. I rattled my wrists, trying to break free of the cuffs, but they wouldn't budge. My head was slumped down, my chin touching the bare chest right before my V-neck started. Pain cracked through my body as my muscles moved. My head rose, taking a look of my surroundings. What time was it? There was no telling whether it was night or day; there weren't any windows in the room I was stationed in.

Where the hell was I?

"Hello?" I called, my voice bouncing off the what looked to be stone walls. The metal clanked as my wrists moved up and down, wiggling them around the tight cuffs.. My lungs let out a breath I was holding in, but it came out as a dissatisfied grunt. Somewhere in the room, I could hear water droplets dripping to the floor. Nearby, I could hear metal hitting against something. Someone was here. And I could hear soft footsteps pattering on the ground. I shook the shackles. _Get off,_ I mentally screamed at them. The footsteps were growing closer.

"Jake? Sam?" I pounded my hands against the arm of the chair, "Somebody?" My voice was high, fear and terror clearly evident.

"Someone get me out of here!" I pleaded. This had to be a cruel, sick, joke Sam was playing on me. He did this to Jacob, he could have very well done this to me. Maybe the red hair was just planted in my mind from some past experience I couldn't remember, someone's name that wouldn't come to my mind. The footsteps came to the door, which had a small opening with bars latched onto it across the top. A shadow stopped at the door, their hand grabbed onto the knob. Fear struck my stomach.

"Sam?" I frantically called, leaning my body forward. The door creaked as it slowly opened, revealing a slender silhouette in heeled boots. This wasn't Sam, or any of the pack. This was a woman, Emily possibly? No, Emily wasn't that tall. The unknown woman took a step forward, revealing herself.

"Hello, mermaid." She smirked, her blood red eyes staring down at me.

"Victoria." Her name escaped my mouth in a shallow breath. My shoulders dropped, and so did every ounce of hope in my body. Her fiery red curls fell in ringlets around her face. My body leaned back against the chair and my heartbeat echoed in my ears. She had changed from the last time I saw her in the mountains. This time, she fashioned black jeans that clung snuggly to her thin legs and a grey vest that fit over a short-sleeved navy blue top.

"Wonderful to see you're up. Charlotte, how about you come in and greet our prisoner?" Charlotte? Charlotte Watsford? And with that, a pale, mahogany dyed hair girl walked in. It was Charlotte Watsford.

"Charlotte?" I whispered.

"How not nice to see you again." She sneered. There was something different about her—and it wasn't just her lousy attitude, it was how she looked. Her skin was paler than usual, most likely a result from lack of sun for the past couple of weeks. Her eyes were dark, darker than the usual chocolate ones.

"What—what are you doing here? You went back, you left."

"Well, I was going to. Until I happened to meet Victoria, and she happened to change my mind." Charlotte flashed a smile, showing off two extended eye teeth. Fangs. It all made sense now: her pale skin, dark eyes, and now her fangs. Victoria had turned her into a vampire.

"Charlotte, why?" My voice cracked, she took a few steps forward. Victoria watched, fascinated by my response.

"Because I'm better than you." She simply answered circling the chair I was chained to.

"Better than me? That has nothing to do with anything."

"Yes it does. I was better than you before, when I had all three powers of you losers, and when you attained all of mine, I lost that specialty. Now, I'm a vampire and a mermaid. What's better than that?" That was it; Charlotte had gone off the deep end. She'd cracked.

"No, no, no, no," I repeated, "Charlotte, what did you do?" I hated how small my voice sounded. The shackles shook.

"The best decision I ever made." Her dark red eyes gazed into me.

"Best? Charlotte, you gave up your life, you didn't need to do that."

"Once a liar, always a liar." She barked. "This is the best thing that's ever happen to me. And what's better is that I get to take this all out on you." She stopped behind me.

"Let me out of here!" I hissed, my eyes glaring up to the red headed vampire standing beside the door.

"Not likely." Victoria snapped. Charlotte's fingers traced behind my hair and onto the chain of my necklace. Her dark eyes glared down to the round silver locket on the thin chain, clinging to my bony, feminine collarbone. Quickly thinking, she grabbed onto the silver chain and pulled it back. The ice-cold locket pressed up against the skin of my throat. My head arched back and my wrists pounded against the wooden arms of the chair. My feet slapped down on the floor, tied together with a thick rope.

"Charlotte," I could barely speak, "stop. Please" I chocked out in a whisper. Victoria was proud as she watched her student torture me. Was Charlotte actually going to torture me to death? She kept the hold for a few more seconds until she let go. My head flew forward and I gasped for air over and over. I couldn't get enough of it. Air! Sweet air. I've never enjoyed it so much. Victoria's eyes gleamed in happiness and she watched me pant, my body slumped forward.

"Please let me go." I pleaded, noticing my forearm was beginning to burn where I had cut myself yesterday…or was it two days ago? A week, maybe? Charlotte took a step closer to me, her mouth inches away from my ear.

"Not going to happen." She hissed, her breath tickling my ear. Charlotte's eyes fell down to my neck as she straightened her body out.

"Don't try to control it." Victoria persuaded with a coo. I felt a curl of nausea in my stomach as she spoke. Control what? My eyes never left Victoria; I didn't dare look to Charlotte. If I turned around, Victoria could come at me and snap my neck in less than a second flat. What was Victoria seeing Charlotte do?

"But, I don't want to." The newborn cried, her eyes still fixed on my neck. She opened her mouth revealing her fangs to Victoria, who smiled in satisfaction.

"Yes, you do." She encouraged. As for what happened next, I had not anticipated. As Charlotte lunged her head forward, I could feel two painful pinches at the base of my neck on my left side. I cried out in pain as I could feel the warm liquid trickle down my cold skin. Tears dotted my vision, making it impossible to see. All I knew was, even through my blurry vision, Victoria watched proudly as her apprentice fed from my neck. I wanted to speak out, but the more Charlotte fed on me, the weaker I got. And weaker…and weaker….until everything in the room was black.

**Alice Cullen's POV:**

Six AM in the Cullen household wasn't much different than it being one in the afternoon. Bella was asleep upstairs in Edward's room. He'd been hovering over her to make sure she was okay all night. Since Victoria was still out there, we were all on high alert. She was somewhere out there, and it was the dog's turn to track her down. Emmett had spotted her somewhere in the woods when he went to go hunt with Rose a few hours ago, but she'd run off onto their territory and from what Sam had told Carlisle, they chased her all the way to the Canadian border so she wasn't near any of us anymore. I still had a strange feeling that she was somewhere here. And the feeling continued to haunt me.

"What are you thinking about, darlin'?" Jasper asked, noticing I was staring out into space instead of flipping to the next page of my latest edition of Vogue. I'd been stuck on the pages covering an article about fashion week, which I happened to miss this year, and an ad for the newest Chanel perfume, which I vowed to buy on my next trip to Seattle. I closed the magazine, and plopped it on the coffee table.

"I don't know. I'm just…I'm nervous." Rose looked up from her issue of Allure and gave me an unsettling look.

"But you're never nervous, unless it's about some vision." Emmett said, lifting Rosalie's feet off of his lap.

"I know. Maybe I'm just hungry."

"You know you need to hunt." I was fully aware I had to, my body was craving blood, I was going mad from it.

"I can't leave them alone." I disagreed.

"Darlin', if you see anything—" See anything. Jaspers voice faded out and so did my sight. A vision began playing like a movie and acted as my sight.

"Alice?" I could hear Rosalie's worried voice before all other noise from my current world was blocked out.

My eyes focused in on a dark room, somewhere underground. There was a brunette girl in the room, sitting in a wooden chair. My eyes focused more on the wooden chair; the girl wasn't sitting in the chair. She was forced to it. Her wrists were locked in my shackles and a thick rope restrained her feet. A familiar silver locket clung to the girl's collarbone. Who was she? And why was I having a vision of her? Her wrists clanked against the metal shackles tying them down. She let out a small cry of defeat when they didn't come off. Her head lifted up and revealed the mystery girl—Ariana. Sam Uley's stepsister, the mermaid girl.

"Jake? Sam?" She pounded her arms and hands against the chair.

"Somebody?" She called out, there was somewhere near her. Even I could feel the presence.

"Someone get me out of here!" She cried, shaking the locks a little more. I could hear footsteps echo through the room, and metal, that weren't the shackles around her wrist, clack together.

"Sam?" Her head snapped u when she heard the footsteps. There was a door in the room, and it creaked open. After another set of footsteps, she gasped. The scene went back and changed. It was still Ariana, and it was still in the same room.

"Please let me go." She pleaded to someone in front of her, I couldn't see them.

"Not going to happen." An unfamiliar girl growled in Ariana's ear. The unfamiliar girl straightened her body out, but her eyes stayed fixed on Ariana's throat and neck. Her eyes turned black, with dark red around the edges. Dark purple and grey bags hung under her eyes. Here were veins popping up from under them, all the way down to the middle of her face. This was all to familiar, this unknown girl was a vampire. Her mouth quivered as she forced herself not to open it.

"Don't try to control it." Someone tried to persuade the newborn vampire. That voice…I knew that voice. It belonged to Victoria. Ariana's eyes didn't once leave Victoria, who was standing somewhere in front of her.

"But I don't want to." The girl cried, her eyes still staring at Ariana's neck. It was almost as I could read her mind, she didn't want to bite Ariana, but the hunger was controlling her mind.

"Yes, you do." Victoria encouraged. The mahogany haired unknown girl lunged her head forward, mouth wide open revealing her fangs, and lunged into Ariana's neck. Ariana screamed and my vision went black.

"Alice? Can you hear us?" Rosalie waved a hand in front of my face. I gasped, blinking a couple of times after coming out of the vision. Was that happening right now? Or did it already happen? But Ariana was with the dog right now, it couldn't have happened. They would have called us if they knew she was missing.

"What happened?"

"Ariana." I said, letting out a breath.

"Mermaid girl? What about her?" Emmett asked. Carlisle came in, hearing a commotion from us.

"What's going on?" His blonde brows furrowed, staring down to us. Inside his pocket, his phone rang its generic obnoxious ringtone.

"Hello?" He answered the phone, still suspicious.

"Carlisle, she has her." It was Sam. My vision was true.


	31. No Way Out

**A/N: Hi guys! So more of Ariana being in her little cell, this chapter its all her POV though. And since none of you seem to read my A.N's, I had to explain what my Authors note had in it through out the chapter. Please enjoy! And for those who do read these little notes, tell me how you enjoy this! And please tell me if you're getting bored of the setting (this dark dreary cellar) because I don't want to lose any of you! I'm trying to drag out this story as much as possible because I think I know where it's gonna end :/ But that shouldn't be for like 5-7 more chapters. So weird to think that. But tell me if you're getting bored of this one settting and want more Jacob POV please! Love you guys. Xoxo – Elena **

_Chapter Thirty-One_

_No Way Out_

_Chapter Song: I Hate You Katherine by Michael Suby_

There was a strong pounding in my head that echoed throughout my body. It hurt my eyes—which could only see a black sea of nothingness. Everything from my head to my toes ached terribly.

What happened?

Whatever did happen, had to deal with Charlotte and Victoria, they kidnapped me. They kidnapped me! My eyes flew open. My heart beating rapidly, skin most with sweat. I was greeted by mostly darkness, minus the dull light bulb somewhere in the back of the room. It lit up the room just enough so that you could see minimum details—like the splintering wood of my chair, the steel door, or the blood stained lining on my V-neck. I was sitting up, as a shiver crept up on me, I tried bringing my hand to my aching neck, but I remembered that I was restrained to the old wooden chair. Panic gripped my heart and made it hard to breath. My neck was aching because two fangs were pierced into it before my consciousness slipped away. Charlotte bit me; it was her real first taste of human blood…well, human-mermaid mix blood. The realization fear kicked in, wondering if I was now turned into a vampire. My skin looked pale, but that could have been from the lack of sunlight, food, and water for the passed x amount of days. There was a heartbeat, a thudding pulse, pumping blood into all areas on my body. So I wasn't a vampire, I was still the same half human half mermaid girl I've been for the past 2 years of my life. It seemed to be. But what if this was normal, what if I was in transition?

"Anxious?" Charlotte's voice piped up in the darkness. I gasped loudly, snapping my head around to see her. She was sitting on the bare ground a few feet away from me. Her back was pressed against the stone wall, and her legs were bent up, one arm placed against her knees, and the other toying with a silver locket clasped around her neck. The necklace was so familiar, way to familiar. And even in the dark room, I finally realized it's mine. I looked down to my neck to see it bare, my necklace gone—and it place it clung to Charlotte's pale, ice cold neck. Charlotte noticed my glare towards my necklace, and happily kept playing with it.

"Your heartbeats out of control." She coughed a laugh. "It's…tempting." She added with a sickening smile on her face. I sat there, completely still. The only sound coming from me was my shallow breathing.

"If you're wondering if you're a vampire, then stop worrying, you're not."

"How do I know you're not lying?" My voice sounded just how I expected it to—weak and afraid.

"Because Victoria and I wouldn't be stupid enough to make you immortal. Besides, you have to drink vampire blood and be killed to turn into one. And, it doesn't look like you'll be getting any of that sometime soon."

"Yeah, didn't think so." I spat, shaking the tight shackles on my wrist. I could feel the skin becoming red and the first layer, tearing off and become instantly irritated.

"You know, I admire Victoria a lot."

"Do I really care?" I outright asked.

"She's someone I look up to. She lived in London during the fifteenth century. She had a job with her sister. They worked as maids. Her sister disappeared for many years and after Victoria thought she was dead, she came back as a vampire and turned her. It changed her, just like it changed me, it made her a better person."

"Can we maybe skip the chit-chat? It'd be great."

"So much brooding in one room. Your self-loathing is suffocating me." She smiled, flashing her teeth.

"The only one I hate here is you."

"Oh come on Ariana, we're in this together now."

"We're in nothing together, Charlotte. I don't want any part of this. I want to go home!"

"That's the thing, you're never going home."

"What is this to you, Charlotte? Is this some kind of payback? For letting Cleo have Lewis? For me being equally powerful as you?"

"I'm so over Cleo, I told you that," she spat, "she was never my friend, but Lewis was. And you bitches took him from me."

"This is about betrayal?" My voice grew stronger.

"This isn't about betrayal, Ariana! It's about revenge. You deserve everything you'll get. You stole my only friend."

"You still could have been friends! We all could have! You became to obsessed with power and always one upping us that you risked everything."

"We were never friends, it was all one big lie you and your friend put on."

"The volleyball game in late September. You, me, and the girls verses another team and we used our powers to help us win. For a second there, I thought we were friends."

"It didn't last." Her hard gaze fell to the floor.

"You tried—you're going to kill me, you tried exposing Cleo, we were your friends."

"None of you were my friends!" She yelled, the anger of her voice sending a wave of tension through the room. I fell silent, not wanting to talk. Charlotte's eyes turned black.

"You stole my friend—my love. And even under a spell, you stole back your own boyfriend. And you somehow received the same powers as me. I'm done with you. You mean nothing to me."

"But I do. You wouldn't have turned yourself otherwise."

"I'm a mermaid-vampire hybrid, there's nothing that could beat that. Not even you."

"You just threw away your life to prove that you're better than me. Fine then you win. You win, Charlotte."

"I didn't through my life away." She shot.

"Clearly you wanted to die, because otherwise you wouldn't be here."

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. But as long as you're out of the picture, life gets better."

"Is that what Victoria said?" I asked, Charlotte's head leaned up.

"No!" She barked, "that's what I think." I had a feeling Victoria was controlling her in this.

"Victoria was looking for revenge on me about the same time you disappeared, are you sure she didn't manipulate your mind enough to think all this?"

"I know what I want." There was no other way of persuading her otherwise not to kill me, or not to work with Victoria. We were to late. The only result was to beg, and that was evidently useless.

"Charlotte, I'm begging you to let me go. Victoria is only using you so that she could get revenge on the pack, and kill me for saving the girl she really wanted to kill."

"Shut up, no more of your lies!"

"None of these are lies, I swear. Before she disappeared, the last thing she said to me was that she wanted me dead."

"We both want you dead."

"She's influencing you."

"Shut up!" Charlotte yelled, her black eyes with red rings around the edges staring at me. She looked as ravenous for my blood as Victoria did when I cut my arm open.

"You know I'm right Charlotte. You never wanted to drink my blood. Victoria's cravings she's taught you took over you." I persuaded. In a swift action, Charlotte grabbed something from behind her I hadn't noticed until now. It was a small spray bottle, filled with a sort of liquid.

"See this? She threatened, "Mermaids are allergic to it. It a type of poisonous coral that'll burn your skin so painful that you wish you were dead." She stopped talking and her eyes drifted down to stare at the liquid in the bottle.

"So, why don't we try it?" She suggested, the same sickening smile coming back to her lips. Her finger dragged back the trigger and the liquid came spurting out and graced the bare skin of my hand and wrist. Instantly, the pain hit my hand and I bit my lip from screaming. It was as if a fire was set on my skin, it burned. Saying this was painful was an understatement. My eyes began watering and my nails dug into the wood. A whimper escaped my pursed lips and my body felt weak. Then, just like that, the burning stopped. My heart rate was like a drum in my ears and my eyes blinked away the salty tears. The spray bottle Charlotte was holding somehow disappeared. Had she put it somewhere behind her? Suddenly, an obnoxious ringing noise rattled through the underground cellar we were in. The screen of an iPhone lit up and buzzed. Wow, this place got reception? That was impressive.

"Ugh, these bitches keep calling." Charlotte's dark eyes looked down to the phone…hey, that was my phone!

"Ah, Emma, so good to hear from you." Charlotte sarcastically answered.

"Charlotte?" Emma said in complete shock. The phone was loud enough that I could hear the other side of the conversation.

"Miss me?" Her lips curled up into a smile.

"What are you doing with Ariana's phone?" She protectively defended.

"Oh, you know, things."

"Where's Ariana?"

"Beside me. Locked to a chair. " She laughed.

"Very funny Charlotte, quit joking around."

"Oh but I love that I'm not."

"Charlotte, what do you think you're doing?" That was Rikki's voice.

"Testing my new vampire powers out on your friend." Vampire powers? She didn't have any of those, right? She just had mermaid ones like mine. That was it.

"Vampire? Charlotte we know you're kidding." There was a buzzing being produced from the phone. Charlotte snatched it away from her ear and grinned in satisfaction.

"Oh look! The boyfriend's calling too! Why don't we just add him to the call?" She suggested. Charlotte's finger clicked on the screen and a loud clicking noise followed.

"Ariana?" Jacob's frantic voice could be heard. My heart stopped, and so did all the pain burning in my hands. Jacob. I'd only dreamt of his voice over the past few days. It sounded so far away, but at the same time so close. My Jacob. His voice sounded healthy again.

"Guess again." Charlotte chuckled sinisterly.

"Jacob?" Emma asked. At this point I knew Jacob figured out the other girls on the line were my best friends.

"Charlotte, what do you think you're doing?" Cleo yelled.

"Well, I think another vampire and me are getting revenge."

"You…you're a vampire?" Cleo gasped.

"And I'm loving every second of it." She smirked.

"Where's Ariana?" Rikki demanded to know.

"Right here, want proof?" Charlotte took this as her advantage to try out her new powers, that I didn't know about. She used her supernatural speed and in seconds, she took a stance in front of me. The spray bottle was in her hands, but I was to weak from the poison burning into my flesh to realize. All of the sudden, after yet another pull of the trigger, I could feel the excruciating painful burn on my hands. I squealed out in pain, not being able to hide it any longer, and tears dotted my vision.

"You all made mistakes, and Victoria and I aren't giving you any more chances to fix it." She announced.

"Charlotte, no!" The girls chorused after hearing my cries.

"Stop it, Charlotte!" Jacob demanded. Jacob's voice, it soothed me through the agonizing pain. I squeezed my eyes shut, crying out in pain and banging my wrists against the chair. The metal of the restraints clacked together. I opened my eyes, letting a few tears trickle down.

"Why are doing this?" I yelled and cried, my voice sounded high pitch.

"Why." I whined, now crying my eyes out.

"Because it's you. Why not." She shrugged. Charlotte concentrated on staring at me and suddenly there was a pain in my head. She didn't spray any more of the coral solution, she was using some type of new vampire power she acquired. It was like there was a nail being drilled through my head; it strained on my whole body and burned through out my veins. I felt a curl of nausea in the pit of my stomach. This was something I hadn't anticipated. I thought maybe they'd keep me alive for a day, feed on me, and then toss me aside like another useless body. Not torture me.

"You all under estimated me." Charlotte spoke.

"What are you doing?" Emma yelled over the cries produced by me.

"Getting inside her head." The height of the pain grew and grew until it was unbearable. I screamed out in pain as Charlotte sent another painful wave through my head.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" She asked, cynically.

"Get me out!" I managed to scream, shaking the shackles. I tried breaking the shackles on my feet, but the metal clacked together over and over. I didn't care if I broke my ankles becoming free from these metal locks, I had to get out.

"Excuse me?" She asked, I screamed. "What was that?" Another yell came from me. "Don't think I heard you," She added.

"Let me out!" I cried, shaking the metal around my wrists. It burned! Death was less painful than this.

"I swear to God I'll kill you, Charlotte!" Jacob threatened in a yell over the phone.

"You can't, I'm already dead!" She informed with a grin, and with that, she hung up the phone and simply tossed it aside. It landed on the ground with a loud thump, most likely breaking the screen. The pain in my head went away as Charlotte broke concentration. I could barely breath when everything stopped. I could tell Charlotte was getting angrier by the moment. And what she did next surprised me the most. Using her vampire speed, she ran over to me, ripped off all the shackles and threw me against the back wall. My back slammed against the stone and sent a shock through my spine. Her cold hands wrapped around my throat.

"You're going to have a lot of fun these next few days." She cocked her head, her eyes turning a strange color.

"Let me go." I pleaded.

"You know, you say that every time I come in here. Let me go, don't do this to me, please leave me alone…" she went on.

"Maybe you should listen this time." I chocked out.

"Or, maybe I should do this." Charlotte grabbed my head and forced it till it connected with the stonewall. My body was sent to the ground, eyes closed and almost unconscious. My vision was blurring and getting darker by the second.

"Night, night." She hissed, crouched down beside me.

My limp body was locked into a chair, and a figure clocked in a black cape walked closer to me. My head was slumpt forward, gawking at my wrists. I played with the metal shackles that seemed to be in one piece again. Hadn't Charlotte bracken these? The figure stepped forward and my headshot up. I gasped and tried to move, but being locked to a chair didn't help.

"Get away." I defended, but they kept walking forward. The room I was in seemed different. It was darker, longer.

"Get away." I demanded, my voice failing to be strong.

"Who are you?" My eyes focused on the figure, which was only inches away from me now. It reached up and slid off it's black hood.

"You." The voice, my voice, said. The hood slid off the girls head and I saw myself—only different. My eyes were red and my skin was pale. There were purple bags fashioned under my eyes. I was a vampire. A small gasped escaped my mouth and then everything went black. And I could feel my body take itself out of it sleep. I woke up.

"I'm very proud of you." Victoria's voice infiltrated my thoughts. I could feel the stare she was holding on me.

"For doing this?" Charlotte.

"You're learning well."

"When do we kill her?" Charlotte eagerly asked.

"When the time comes. I need my revenge to last as long as it can." Victoria said. Moments later, I gasped myself awake from my nightmare. I propped myself on the side of my arm and my chest quickly rose up and down, eventually causing me to catch my breath.

"And she's awake." Victoria turned to me, clapping her hands together. Oh great, and I thought having Charlotte in a room with me was going to be bad. It was possible, this would be ten times worse. Charlotte and Victoria, I was in for some big trouble.

"Whatever torture you want to put me through, just do it already. Being dead is more fun than this." I weakly told them.

"Oh, don't worry, death will come. But, this game can go on for mnths and months." Victoria explained.

"Game? What game?"

"I like to call it hide and seek. No one can hide like me. Your wolf friends and their vampire allies will never find you. For all you know, we can still be in Washington. Or maybe we're somewhere in Europe, or Australia. I've been playing these games for hundreds of years now. As I said, no one can hide like me."

"If you're going to kill me, then do it already."

"Not quite yet, mermaid. No, may I call you Ariana? Of course I can, I can do whatever I want. I admire you Ariana, oh wait, who am I kidding. Of course I don't. But I'm giving you the chance to decide how this ends. Join our team, or you can disappear like all of the dogs 'victims'." Victoria referred back to when I found out Jacob was a werewolf, and I thought he was killing all those people.

"Let's get this straight Victoria, there's no chance in hell I'll ever become like you or Charlotte." I spat. Charlotte sneered, and using her vampire speed, in the blink of an eye, she was beside to me. Her cold hand wrapped against my throat. I wanted so badly to run, but I was frozen to my place on the ground. I couldn't even smack Charlottes hand away.

"How about she doesn't get a choice in this?" Her eyes turned black, dark veins produced under them, "why don't we turn her now, kill her later. We both get our plans accomplished." Charlotte let a growl escape her sneered mouth.

"No." Victoria said in a loud, diplomatic voice. Charlotte looked to me, and suddenly, there was a cold and hard contact with my cheek. It was her hand. My head was forced to the side as the hand came in contact with my skin. My cheek tingled, and reddened. In a millisecond, Charlotte was right back up positioned next to Victoria.

"I'm surprised my plan went through." She began, "and I was so afraid the petite Cullen would have seen this and ruin my fun. It was quite easy; it was as if wolf friends set this up perfectly just for me. I led them out of the area."

"—with the help of me of course." Charlotte cut in.

"And with the help of a few articles of my clothing, they followed her scent. Charlotte, being the fast runner she is, was able to meet me in record time. Impressive. And taking you away from your wolf boyfriend was the easiest thing of all. He didn't hear a thing. Those narcotics the older Cullen gave him worked pretty well."

"You knew about all of that?" I was shocked. Victoria, she heard everything that happened?

"It's to bad you saved him with your useless powers that you don't deserve." Charlotte frowned.

"It'd be such a lovely tragedy if he died. But, at least he'll probably kill himself after you're dead."

"He'd never do such a thing."

"Oh but he would." Victoria smiled. It was time to change the subject.

"You're still doing this for revenge on what was his name…James?"

"Wrong mermaid, this is revenge for getting in my way."

"For getting in the way of you killing Bella, who you're trying to get revenge on for killing your James."

"I never liked you from the beginning, I knew there was something off about you. I planned on killing you from the day I smelled your blood."

"I know you're using Charlotte. Just how you used Riley. When you're done with her, you'll kill her, just like you let Riley die." Charlotte looked to Victoria, wondering if this was all true. And for a second, I thought I had her convinced, but Charlotte would never believe me.

"It's one lie after another with you isn't it?" Charlotte looked down to me.

"Don't believe me, but she's using you."

"Shut up, none of this is true." Victoria's dark eyes dug into me.

"You know it is. You're using Charlotte just for your own game—your own hide and seek. The pact will find you, they'll kill both of you, and you'll never win." My confidence rose more as I spoke. But my brain caught up with me. What was I saying? She was going to kill me for saying this. Victoria yelled out a groan. At an impossible speed my eyes couldn't register, she kicked me in the stomach. I yelled out in pain as my arms flew down and wrapped themselves around my stomach.

"I always win." Victoria crouched down and slumped forward, her unpleasant smile slowly widening, grew, till it wasn't a smile at all but a contortion of teeth, exposed and glistening. She grabbed my injured arm, the one I had ripped open, and brought it into her sight. Her eyes turned black, veins popping up, and her fangs exposed themselves from her gums. Her head whipped back and in one swift action, she sank her fangs into my wrist. The familiar, painful, pinch and sting pierced my skin. I could feel her drink on me, and it made my stomach do flip-flops. I wanted to die. However long later, Victoria rose from her crouch, and took Charlotte out of the room with her. As she left, a fitting smile fashioned her lips. My wrist burned. As I looked down, two streams of warm red liquid trickled down my arm and stained my long sleeves. My head hit the back of the wall as my vision blurred. _Get me out of here,_ I silently pleaded. Tears spilled down my face as I thought of Jacob. I could only imagine him beside me, holding onto me telling me everything would be okay. He'd kiss me, and hold me in his warm protective hug that I'd kill for. I'd never see him again; I was going to die here. If only he was here, he could get me through this. If he was here you wouldn't be going through this, Ariana. My eggplant colored V-neck thermal my mother had bought me before she sent me to Washington clung to my cold skin. My mother. The name sounded faint to me, as if she wasn't even real. Ever since I'd been living with Sam, having a mother wasn't something I remembered. In fact, I hadn't really classified myself as having one for the past seven years, give or take a few. Ever since she acquired her job in the Navy, it was as if she was rarely around. It was like I lived by myself. Back in Australia, I would go days without seeing her. I was pretty much on my own. But we still had a strong relationship. Every time I saw her, we'd bond and when we had to leave, it be harder than the last time. I couldn't even remember the last time I saw mom. _It was when she dropped you off at Sam's. _The last time she called was what, four or five weeks ago? It worried me, but knowing her she was somewhere off in the middle of the Pacific Ocean doing what she loved—her job. She'd never know what happened to her baby girl, her pumpkin, her little girl. I'd be the horror story she only had nightmares about—where a teenage daughter goes missing and her body is never found, but deep down in the parent's hearts they know that their daughter is gone. She was at the selfish hands of a cold-hearted murderer. As my body sat down on the cold, uncomfortable, hard ground, I hugged my knees to my chest, a few more tears slipping down my cheeks. I wanted to fall asleep, but the thrilling thoughts of Charlotte in the next room kept me awake. I was silently panicking, and however hard I tried not to, it kept going. All I could do was thing of Jacob, and pretend he was here with me.


	32. Your Own Personal Hell

**A/N: We're getting closer to the end! This is killing me . I'm gonna cry when I finish these next few chapters. CRY I TELL YOU. Thanks for all the reviews, they inspire me to write this, even with exams coming up. :P On another note, God, Michael Suby makes the best music for these chapters :P and on another note, who saw the season finale of TVD? OMG. That's all I can say! **

_Chapter Thirty Two:_

_Your Own Personal Hell_

_Chapter Song: Outro Theme by: Michael Suby_

Seventy-two. Seventy-three. Seventy-five…or was it seventy-four? How many times have I miscounted the sounds of the raindrops falling from the ceiling and plopping to the ground? It had to be many, because I've been sitting here for hours. Occasionally, I'd nod off and fall into a light sleep, but I'd awaken quickly, and I'd go straight to counting how many drops of water hit the ground.

My mind kept having flash backs of different times in my life. Maybe this was something that happens before you die. Happy dreams would fill my brain—remembering back to one time when I was seven, I lived somewhere in Hawaii at the time. My dolls were scattered across the living room floor. The room smelled of pancakes, topped with low-fat butter and organic maple syrup. My mother's cooking; it always made my stomach smile. Beside me, there was a Fisher-Price xylophone and several clothes for my Barbie. My mom came in and scooped me off the ground; Barbie fell out of my hand with a _plop_ on the wood.

"_Are you hungry?" She_ cooed, tucking a short lock of hair behind my little ear. I looked into her hazel eyes and seemed to lose myself. My head nodded, a smile showed off a few missing teeth.

"_Come on, let's eat." She said,_ swooping me into the kitchen. The dream ended there. It wasn't very much, but I appreciated it. The little moments in my life I enjoyed before mother indulged into her work, and forgot about she had a child to care for. But they were still times in my life I'd long for at this very second, where I was lifelessly sitting in a cellar bruised and battered by vampires, who were going to kill me. Sitting here, in this dark hell-hole made me realize that it makes it really important to give as much love and affection as ever to anyone. I never got to say goodbye to Jacob. We spent our last few hours together sleeping. I wish I could go back, hug him, and kiss him one more time. I'd thank him for everything he ever did. He and the pact would've done anything to protect me. And protect me they did. This was out of their control. Now, it was up to me to protect myself, and there wasn't very much I could do. Using my powers wasn't an option, and fighting my way out wasn't one either. My neck would get snapped either way. Did it really matter anymore? I was going to die anyways.

_I was going to die._

My mind silently said this phrase hundreds of times in the past few days, in the past few hours even, but it could never get a good grip on it. Dying seemed irrational; I've never come face to face with it. But death had a name—Victoria. I was scared for it, but I'd be strong. I would face whatever Victoria and Charlotte put at me—whether it be a knife, a gun, or themselves. I'd miss Jacob terribly when I'm gone, the rest of the pack too. And they'd miss me.

The realization set in like a ton of bricks hitting me over the head. None of them will know when I really died. My body would never be found, and Victoria would keep them on a chase for years if she had the chance. My mind wandered off and realized, what if Victoria didn't fully kill me? What if she kept me human and she dragged me along with her for years on end, or what if she turned me into a vampire and controlled me to do whatever she wanted? I'd kill myself before that happened, I wouldn't let Victoria turn me into her sidekick. I wanted to kick the ground, slam my body into the rock wall, I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs for help and cry my eyes out till I passed out. But I didn't, I sat still in the motionless, stuffy, cellar—my head tilted back against the wall and my body limply sitting on the floor with my legs half bent. Salty tears dripped out of my eyes and rolled down my icy cold cheek. Today, I grieved over the girl who was taken away from her family. She was a good girl, a friend, a mermaid, a half sister, and a daughter. It would be as if those stories you'd see on the elven o'clock news came to life. 'Girl disappears from home' the headlines would say. Two weeks later, they'd announce, 'girl pronounced dead, body still not found'. All my clothes, my credit cards, my pictures, they'd all be left behind for my family and friends to keep. This was the moment the earth stopped moving for me. I was going to be dead within minutes, hours, days—however long Victoria would keep me for. For all I knew, she'd take me around as her human slave. What would it be like when my heart stopped beating? How painful was death? It couldn't be more painful then being tortured by my two kidnappers. A low grumbling sound erupted from my stomach. With all that's been going on, I forgotten about eating and drinking. It wasn't like Victoria or Charlotte would remember that I'm still part human, and humans need to eat. Truth was, I wasn't hungry. The pain in my body kept my focused on one thing: dying. It was the one word that was consuming my thoughts. Without food, I was growing weaker by the second. I'd lost a lot of blood, I'd suffered several concussions, and eating was just the cherry on top. At this rate, I'd die in a matter of hours. My skin was dangerously pale, close to the shade of the Cullens. I could barely feel the blood being pumped through my veins, I was so cold I would be shaking if it didn't hurt so bad to move. After nodding of a time or two, my thought process began again.

What would Jacob do when he finds out I'm dead? Would he be as upset as I was when I thought he died? Would he cry? Scream? Go into a state of shock like I was in right now? What about Sam, what would he do? Would he blame himself for the whole thing, for trusting me that I was okay to be all right on my own with an injured Jacob? It was stupid of me for believing I could have, this was my fault. This was my own personal hell, and this was Charlotte and Victoria's heaven.

"We're doing it my way." Victoria's voice was distant, but I could understand what she was saying.

"Let's just kill her now." Charlotte begged, my heart jumped.

"Not until I say so. You listen to me or you're out of this." Victoria growled.

"This was my plan too, there's no way you can—"

"Stop talking to me, and go away." Victoria demanded, and the room suddenly got quiet again. The door to my cellar swung open with a whisper from the hinges. Charlotte stormed in and slammed the door behind her.

"Oh great, you're up." She mumbled and slid down to the right of the door. She cradled her head in her hands and brought her legs to her chest.

"Regretting this yet?" My voice sounded dead. It flashed me back to a time in my life; where I was sitting in the hospital getting a lot of blood taken out of me for testing. That was one of the scariest moments of my child hood. Every time I spoke to my mother, I thought I'd die from exhaustion.

"I regret nothing." Charlotte sputtered. I weakly, silently, laughed and a fragile smile grazed my lips.

"What?" She barked.

"Why are you doing this?" My eyes drifted to meet her.

"The eternal question, to which my answer is, why not." She smiled.

"No, not that. Why are you doing this to yourself," I stopped to catch my breath, "you could go ahead and kill me right now and leave all this behind, but that's not what Victoria wants."

"Eavesdropping is considered rude, you know."

"I'm just saying, I don't want to see you get hurt." I half lied.

"If this is some messed up way into trying to persuade me to let you go, I hope you know there's no way in hell that's going to happen." She said.

"No, don't worry Charlotte, I know I'm going to die here. And I know that there isn't one ounce of good left in you to help me. Even if there was a moment where I'd trusted you." The room fell silent.

"Since when did you ever trust me? Of everyone, you were the most skeptical of the group."

"There was a point I thought you'd be the next addition to our group, I thought we'd be just as good of friends as me and the girls were." Talking was wearing me out, all I wanted to do was sleep. The room grew quiet again. My eyes closed and I enjoyed the silence…until Charlotte broke it.

"I was bullied a lot during grade school," she started, "people made fun of me quite often. I hated myself and no one wanted to be my friend. And once I was in year ten, it got worse, but I still had friends who stuck by me. That's when I decided to switch universities. I wanted to start over, make real friends."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I thought someone should know who the real me is." She sighed.

"Well, since we're doing story time, you're not alone. It was pretty hard for me too. Moving schools every few years, I lost so many friends. They were all fake and I never heard from them again," breath, Ariana, breathe. Being able to breathe should be the least of your problems, "moving to Australia was the best thing that happened to me."

"Yeah because you turned into a mermaid." Charlotte scoffed.

"Not even that, we formed this unbreakable friendship that even when I'm gone, it'll always be with me."

"What a touching conversation." The cellar door flew open and Victoria came prowling through. We both grew silent.

"Am I interrupting something? Friendship bonding? Story time?" She smirked.

"No." Charlotte said bluntly. She stood up and brushed dirt off of her jeans. Mentally, she shook off the guard she'd let down while she was talking to me.

"Really? Well that's what it sounded like."

"Well it wasn't. I still hate her just as much as before." Of course Charlotte, why would I ever think otherwise?

"Good, because making a snack of your 'friend' might be classified as vulgar." She smiled. Victoria leaned down and grabbed the scruff of my blood stained V-neck. I was yanked up and she wrapped a tight grasp on my upper arm. A horrible joyous gleam was in her eyes are she brought me closer.

"I'm feeling a bit hungry…I think it's time to feed again." She announced, opening her mouth, fangs gloriously glistening in the dark.

"No." I pleaded, my head shaking. _Be strong Ariana_, I told myself.

"Oh, yes." She malevolently laughed and threw her head back and forward, sinking her fangs into my neck. This time, she used the other side of my neck that was free of any vampire bites. Now, drops of blood dribbled down it. I didn't cry, I didn't scream—a shuttered breath came out of my mouth instead. I was so weak I couldn't scream. It was useless; it wasn't like anyone else was going to magically come in and save me. I tried pushing Victoria off, but she made her grasp on me tighter. My eyes shut, trying to block out my blurring vision. Victoria's head lifted and her fangs retracted out of my neck. There was blood dripping under the corners of her mouth.

"You're turn." Victoria viciously said to the newborn vampire, and in a blur I was powerfully pushed towards Charlotte. I stumbled over but I was able to catch my balance, and stand myself up. In the corner of my eye, I realized Victoria left the cellar door open. If I ran out there, what would they do? Break my neck? Feed on me till I was blood-less? I looked to Charlotte, her eyes were fixed on the blood dripping down my neck and seeping into my shirt. Her eyes turned black and red and her expression hardened. Run! My legs wouldn't move, I was to scared. I knew if I ran, they'd kill me. But what if I could run away fast? Without wasting another moment, my legs burst out into a run. In that same millisecond, Charlotte had used her vampire speed to get over to me, but that's when I ran out the door. She stood beside Victoria in shock.

"What the…" It took her a moment to realize I'd burst out of the room. The outside of the cellar wasn't how I imagined it. I thought there would be an exit to the outside world, but it was the same dirt floor and rocky wall. My breaths were labored and loud, it was all I could hear—that and my heartbeat. It was possible I wouldn't even make it to an exit; I was about to double over in pain. Before I could blink, Victoria was in front of me. I gasped and stopped short in my place. My eyes widened, her sickening smile made me sick. There was a blow to my head—or my chest, I couldn't tell, and I was sent crashing into the rock wall. A shock tingled my spine as I rolled over onto my side.

"This is for ruining my relationship with Lewis!" Charlotte yelled, and kicked me in the stomach. I screamed out in pain as my arm flew to cradle my stomach. Victoria kicked me in my side.

"Where are your dogs now?" She laughed maliciously, kicking me in my legs, and then my arms, and finally my chest. I gasped for air, and felt a burning in my lungs. I began coughing and a warm red liquid filled my mouth and was splattered onto the floor. Pain erupted through my body and a nauseating feeling bubbled through my stomach. As Victoria, and sometimes Charlotte, kicked me, it felt as if every bone in my body was breaking. Just let the pain be over. Just kill me. I tried propping myself up on my arm. I finally managed to get myself in the position. I wiped blood from the corner of my mouth off with my sleeve.

"Just kill me already!" I begged. "If you're going to kill me, just do it."

"All in time, mermaid." Growled Victoria, her heeled ankle boots punched me in my abdomen. A yelp escaped my mouth, my hold on the position I was in broke, and I fell, my arm reached out and scraped against ground.

"You realize, since the moment you met the dogs you signed your own death sentence?" Another blow to my body made me cry out. My vision began to get blurry and every blink I took felt like it was in slow motion.

"The more time you spent with those dogs, in this town, you were getting closer to your death." Victoria's words were spoken with venom. With another blow to my stomach, my legs, my chest, and my side, I slowly felt consciousness slipping away. My whole body was on fire, I couldn't breathe. Jacob, Sam, someone—help me. Please. Just let the pain stop. Let it all be over…

**JACOB P.O.V:**

A physically exhausted Sam stood in front of me as I walked through the door to his home. His skin was paler than usual, his forehead was pushed together from stress, and his eyes were baggy from several sleepless nights. It was just how I looked. I wiped beads of sweat from my forehead, being that I just came back from searching a sixty-mile radius of Forks for the sixth time. It's been five days since Ariana's gone missing, and it's felt like a century for the pack and me. Two days ago, I received a phone call from Charlotte—the half mermaid half vampire hybrid now. The phone call was a three way, with me, Ariana's friends back in Australia, and that stupid hybrid. The phone call made me want to kill myself, Charlotte was torturing Ariana. I wanted to rip the head off that stupid mermaid-vampire hybrid. She deserved to die a painful death. I couldn't wait to get my hands on her to snap her neck and make her suffer. Damn her for working with Victoria.

"No lead?" Sam wondered.

"Nothing. I searched everywhere. I went past the border, but still nothing."

"Jared and Paul just switched shifts with Quil and Embry, so maybe they'll pick up something."

"No they won't, we've been doing this for five days straight. If we haven't found anything yet, it's not going to happen. When's pixie Cullen going to have another vision?"

"I don't know, why don't you go over there and ask!" Sam gave me a death glare. He was just as frustrated as I was—his sister was kidnapped, tortured, and most likely being killed by two enemy vampires.

"Charlotte's gonna get hell for this." I mumbled and turned around to go run to the bloodsucker's house.

I was outside the Cullen's house, pounding upon the door with eager fists. Did they have to lock the doors? They were vampires; the least of their worries was a robber.

"Carlisle, open the god damn door!" I demanded. The door opened. In front of me, stood Bella. Though she looked surprised to see me, I knew she figured I'd be over here again. The day Ariana was kidnapped, the same day I received a phone call from Victoria, pixie Cullen had a vision. Carlisle called us over and she explained how she saw Ariana tied to a chair, and Charlotte feeding on her. If they were going to turn Ariana into a vampire, I still wouldn't care. Whether vampires are our natural enemy, I'd still be with her no matter what. But somehow I knew Victoria was smart enough to figure that out, and Charlotte would kill herself before she let Ariana become just like her—again. I'd do anything to get her back, even if it meant to find Victoria and trade myself for her. Was anything really worth the loss of the girl I loved so completely?

"Jake," Bella's soft voice started, "what are you doing here?" She tucked a piece of her brown hair behind her ear.

"Where's Alice?" I rolled my eyes.

"Right here." The pixie like vampire popped into the room. The overwhelming stench of vampire filled my nostrils, but it learned how to control it.

"Have you seen anything else?" I asked. Just then, Carlisle and Barbie Cullen walked in.

"What's he doing here." She mumbled to the fatherly like figure beside her.

"Nothing." She shook her head.

"For all we know she's in Australia." Rosalie snorted.

"Do you want to help or not." I growled.

"Has any of the pack got a lead on anything?"

"No. We've gone into Canada and searched the Washington area, she's not here."

"How do we know she's still alive? Alice can't see her, so as far as we know, she's dead." Vampire Barbie suggested. I shot her a death glare. If the Cullen's weren't helping me right now, I'd rip her head off. Alice and Carlisle looked to her with anger and disappointment in their eyes. Bella stood there silently.

"I got a phone call from Charlotte two days ago."

"What did she say?"

"She was torturing Ariana on the phone. So as far as two days ago, she was alive."

"But that was two days ago." Rosalie really needed to shut up before I phased in their house and broke everything…including their bodies.

"What worries me is that Alice hasn't been able to see her." Carlisle walked over and sat down on the couch across the room. Alice, Rosalie, and Bella followed.

"She's not dead if that's what you're trying to inquire."

"Not at all, quite the opposite in fact. But look at these circumstances; she's with two people that want revenge on her—"

"and that means they'll keep her alive longer."

"My sentiments exactly. But they're not going to keep her much longer. It's been five days, if we don't find her in the next few hours, Victoria might be getting sick of this game she's playing."

"But the other one won't be. Their goal's to get even with her, Victoria's revenge is going to be ten times worse than something Ariana ever did." Alice told him.

"Charlotte too." I mentioned.

"Think of every possible place they would be." Carlisle instructed.

"You think I haven't looked everywhere she could possibly be?"

"Are you sure the pack didn't miss one spot? Anywhere?"

"Victoria's scent is all over Washington, she planned this out perfectly. Charlotte's too."

"What about Ariana's?"

"We can't track it."

"There's got to be a reason he can't track her." Alice looked to Carlisle.

"She's got to be somewhere in Washington." He decided.

"We've checked everywhere. It's not possible." I stated. Did they think I was stupid enough to know my own girlfriend wasn't in the state? Dumb bloodsuckers.

"Can't you make yourself have your little visions?" I looked to Alice, who was sitting with her hands together.

"It doesn't work like that. They just come unexpectedly."

"It's got to work. They're going to kill her!"

"I can't get anything if the persons dead, but I'll try. I don't know how this is going to work though." She shook her head.

"I don't do this often, or at all, but I'm begging you." I gritted through my teeth. This had to work. If not, there was no chance of me, or anyone, finding Ariana, and her fate was sealed. It was like we were signing away her death sentence. Alice closed her eyes and began to diligently concentrate, thinking of different ways on how to call her vision that would give us a lead on Ariana. The rest of the bloodsuckers and I stared at her with wide eyes. Our gaze never left her. Minutes passed, and we sat there in the still silence. Alice stayed perfectly still, she looked like frozen, or like a statue. The vampire gasped and her golden eyes popped open.

"What? What happened?" We all rushed.

"I've been tracking Victoria for a while, but this is the first thing I've seen. I've been trying to tag onto Ariana's future, but I might not be seeing anything because she has no future. But I keyed onto Victoria's, and—" She spoke fast, trying to get all the information out at once.

"Alice! What did you see?" The blonde urged.

"I think I know exactly where she is, but we don't have a lot of time." Her golden eyes met mine. They were filled with sadness. Did she know something I didn't?


	33. The Last Day

**A/N: Gahh, I should have split this chapter up into thirds to make it longer. It was so hard writing this! Please understand that there's a lot of flashbacks in the upcoming chapters. Please review! **

_Chapter Thirty-three_

_The Last Day_

_Chapter Song: Passion and Danger by: Michael Suby / You Found Me : The Fray_

My eyes blinked open and what was I greeted by? Darkness. There was nothing but the solemn dark. I looked up and saw a pair of shoes blocking my vision. They were caked with mud and dirt and they looked worn out. My eyes trailed up and Sam Uley's indomitability harsh gaze greeted me.

"Sam?" I blinked a couple of times, letting my vision set on him.

"Get her." He ordered to someone. Jacob walked in and looked down to me, his hard gaze not looking promising.

"Jacob?" This was disbelieving. Could they not hear me? Why wouldn't they answer me? He vehemently scooped me up and we began walking out of cellar. My eyes kept closing out of pure exhaustion. I was about to see the light of day again. He walked me up a pair of stairs and before I realized it, we were walking outside in the grey, cloudy, evening.

"What do we do with the body?" Embry? When did he come here? Before Jacob could protest, I was airborne. I gasped in pain as I hit the ground. My head titlted sideways to see what happened and all the sudden, a fire was started by, from what I saw, was Charlotte. Jacob, where was he? The flames were blocking my vision. But then, I could see him on the ground with a stake in his back. His head was faced down. 'Jacob! Get up!' I wanted to scream for him. Victoria was standing over him. Then, in seconds, all I could see was fire. Red, orange, and yellow flames licked at the dirt ground. Past the fire, you could see a pair of sorrow filled brown eyes. They looked lifeless, dead—they looked like mine. In fact, they were mine. And that was my face. I recognized the same colored shirt, my blood stained skin, my dark hair. My dehydrated lips were parted as they tried taking in air. My face disappeared in the haze of the fire, and then the dream disappeared and turned into a black backdrop of nothing-ness.

I woke up with a gasp. Back in reality, my body was spread across the floor like a useless doll. My shallow, shaky breaths were the only thing you could hear in the cellar as I awoke. My heart sank into my stomach when I realized I was still in the cellar. I was having a nightmare; Sam and Jacob never came for me. Jacob never got staked; I never escaped out of this hell hole. Why would I be anywhere else? I was going to spend the rest of my short life here. There was a faint pain in my head, and as I became more and more awake, there was a terrible aching pain in my body. It was like I was ran over by a truck, twice. I picked myself off the floor and sat up, but the pain was to much to deal with I limply fell against the back wall and closed my eyes. A small groan escaped my mouth.

"Maybe if you didn't run, it wouldn't have hurt to much." Charlotte's voice intruded my silence.

"What do you want?" My voice was a hoarse whisper. I kept my eyes glued shut.

"Warning you."

"About what?" My eyes opened and fell on Charlotte, who looked even paler than usual. Her eyes were black, perhaps meaning she was hungry.

"That if you run again, I'll break your spine." She said with ease and a straight face. Her deep-set, black eyes narrowed sinisterly.

"I'd rather you kill me."

"Is that an offer?" She smirked.

"Yes, it is." I harshly spat.

"Hmm, looks like you're fading." She noticed, looking at me head to toe.

"I've lost most of the blood in my body and I haven't eaten in days, what do you think?"

"I'm thinking this is good." She clapped her hands together. There was a minute of silence between us and different thoughts entered my mind. The thought of dying didn't seem to bad. But, I couldn't happen to wonder I was going to die. Would my body mysteriously disappear somewhere in America? Or maybe Australia? Where did Victoria even find a cellar to lock me in anyways?

"Where are we?" This time, I broke the silence.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Charlotte paced the room, looking down at her nail's occasionally. The lull of silence fell over us and I closed my eyes again, listening to my dull heartbeat.

"We're at Hudson Manor." She informed, letting down her guard to give me the information.

"Hudson Manor?" I opened my eyes and glanced at her, judging every move she made.

"It is—well, it was Victoria's home during the fifteen hundreds. Or was it sixteen? I forgot what she said, but it was something around that."

"She lives here?" I croaked, feeling myself fading.

"She did. The place is crumbled into the ground now, expect, well for this place. This is the only thing that remained because it's underground. She lived here most of her life, from what she told me, it was beautiful. Her family owned it."

"Why are you telling me this? You refused before" I managed to say. My vision blurred for a moment and my mind began to feel dizzy and unclear.

"You probably should know where you're going to die, even though you don't know the exact location. But, this is where Victoria died, and re-lived. Incredible, isn't it?" I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. A shiver ran through my spine and I closed my eyes, conserving my energy. A clicking noise, which I've learned was the door, creaked open.

"Come on, don't die on us yet. We haven't had nearly enough fun." Victoria's voice evident with hatred. When would this end? Her dark eyes shifted down to see my chest barely rising and falling. She was satisfied with the outcome.

"Come on mermaid, wake up." She kicked the side of my stomach. I gasped for air.

"Ah, there we go." She smirked, her red tainted lips curling up into a fulfilled smile. My hand flew to my side and pressed down on the spot where her heels struck me. While I was to busy cradling my side, Victoria slipped something shiny out of her pocket. She bent down and seized my left hand. As Victoria opened the shiny object in her hand, it was revealed to be a knife. I didn't cry out until the ice-cold blade was cutting open my skin. My palm reddened, and then blood rushed to the surface and pooled on my skin. The bloody tipped knife landed on the floor with a soft clank. Victoria pressed my palm against her mouth and the warm liquid coming out of my hand flowed into her mouth. And she enjoyed every minute of it. The more she drank, the blurrier my vision became, the more my head ached. It was so hard to keep myself awake.

"As much as I love watching this, I think I need air. I'll be back." Charlotte excused herself.

"Come on Char, I know you're hungry." Victoria wiped the blood smeared around her face with the hem of her sleeve.

"I said I'll be back." She mumbled and in a flash and burst of wind, she was gone.

"Oh little mermaid, time's running out." She rang, standing up, swiping her knife into her hands. She licked the blade like a child would lick the spoon filled with batter. She disgusted me. I cradled my hand, hoping the blood would stop soon.

"There's a sign when you're body stops producing a lot of blood that you're running out of time to live. There's barely any more in your body." She hissed.

"Maybe because you drank all of it." I mumbled under my breath. It was possible I didn't even get the words out of my mouth; I was so out of it I needed time to just be myself and sleep. All I wanted to do was use my powers on Victoria and weaken her—give me time to run. But, if I used my powers, I'd get weaker and at this point, I'd probably die. In my mind, I could imagine myself setting her on fire, and running away to freedom with Jacob there to hug and kiss me, but that was my dream, and it wasn't going to happen. Before I realized it, Victoria had left. I was back to my utter silence in the cellar. Perfect, there was more time to think depressing thoughts.

Somehow, deep in the back of my mind, I knew Victoria was right. Somewhere inside me knew that I only had a couple hours left, there wasn't a lot of blood pumping through my veins, and there was barely a heart beat. The sound of Jacob's heartbeat rang in my ears, I listened to it the night we fell asleep together—the night I was kidnapped. I'd never see the sun breaking through the grey skies again. I was going to die in this room. There were so many things I'd miss when I'm gone; like my best friend I shared the most important secret in the world with, the beautiful leisure swims I'd take back home, or even Lewis and Zane. I'd miss my Australian family so much, words couldn't describe my love for them, but it was similar to the love I grew for my family here. The pack and my brother had a special place in my heart, they were like the brothers I never had when I was little. And Emily, I'd miss her positive attitude and her cooking. She could make me happy whenever I was pissed off at Sam while I was here. Remembering back to the time when Sam found out my secret, she cheered me up by talking bad about him. It made me smile, even in the worst part of my life. And my friends at school, I'd miss them too. I wonder if they would miss me? Or maybe I was just some face that disappeared just like Bella Swan did to them. Hell, I'd even miss Bella and the Cullen's. Though they were enemies with the pack, they helped me out, and we got closer during the war. Would they miss me? Would Alice have a vision of me dying? I wonder if she'd tell Jacob when I die. And Jacob, he's who I'd miss most of all. If I could write him a note and thank him, I would. And it'd go something like this:

_Dear Jacob,_

_I wish I could say this to you in person, but if we were together, I wouldn't be in this situation. There's so many things I'd like to thank you for, but mostly thank you for loving me for who I was. Thank you for everything—thank you for being the most perfect boyfriend a girl could ask for. Thank you for protecting me, loving me, and being just the way you were—werewolf and all. Words can't describe how much I'll miss you when I'm gone. I'll miss your jokes, your voice, your kisses, the way you hug me good morning, everything you've ever done. I'm going to miss you, and I know you're going to miss me. But promise me one thing, and don't go after Victoria, or Charlotte. The last thing I want is you getting yourself killed. You've got so much more to live for than just avenging me. There was no other way, I knew this was going to happen. Please take care of Sam for me, and the rest of the pack too. Don't let them go after them either, okay? When my mom comes back from her base in Alaska, don't tell her exactly what happened. I don't want her to be dragged into this. You made up the lies when I disappeared to Sam, thank you for thinking of something this time. I hope you're doing better, I'm glad I was at least alive to get you back to life. I'd rather myself die than you, but that's how our relationship works doesn't it, we're always out to protect each other. Ironic, isn't it. Thank you again, Jacob. Please know I love you and I'd never stop even when I'm gone. Thank you for loving me._

I finished the mental note to Jacob and folded it into the back of my mind. I loved him; that was all I could think of—how much I loved him. The hardest part about dying would be breaking away from him and my friends, never be allowing to see them again. It hurt. But as I began to realize, you learn to appreciate the little things in life. And you don't realize it till it's gone—you're gone. And with that, I fell back asleep.

_ My head broke the surface of the water. Rikki and Emma followed. It was a bright and sunny day on the gold coast, and the three of us were on the more secluded part of the beach, in the water. _

"_That was incredible." Emma said, fixing stray hairs that stuck to her face. We just came up from our first swim as mermaids. _

"_I can get used to having a tail." I smirked, looking down at the golden tail hidden under the salty water. _

"_Me too. Maybe this can be a good thing." Rikki nodded her head._

"_Are you kidding? We've got to be extremely careful, and I just gave up my swimming career for this. There's got to be a way to fix us." Emma fretted. _

"_Slow down, Em. You just said it yourself, that was incredible." Rikki toyed, wading herself in the water as was I. _

"_How long were we down there?" I asked, changing the subject. It was miraculous that my eyes didn't sting from the salt or my lungs weren't filled to capacity with seawater. _

"_Fifteen? Twenty minutes? I lost track of time." Emma informed. _

"_Come on Cleo, your missing it!" Rikki called to her. She sat on the dry rocks with her feet tucked in with her chest. I could tell she was worried. Everyone could. _

"_No! I'm not going!" She protested. _

"_Fine, suit yourself." Rikki called back. I felt bad for Cleo, she was to scared to swim. She didn't want to be a mermaid; she didn't want any of this. All she—_

My eyes lifted from my flashback of a dream. It had to be hours since Victoria was last in here, and my mind did not stop pacing of the thoughts, even in my dreams, thinking of how much I'd miss doing the simplest things. I thought of everything I regretted in the last few years—things I said which now I can't take back.

"Victoria!" I could swear I heard Charlotte scream for help, but as I opened my teary eyes I realized it was just a dream, or was it? As I sat in the darkness, all I heard was silence…then footsteps. Angry footsteps. The rusty locks on my cellar began to unhinge. Victoria again, I could feel her unwanted presence.

"Get up." She spat, wrapping her hand around my wrist. She yanked me up from the ground using her special strength and she began forcing me forward. I stumbled on my feet as I kept walking forward, where were we going? Was I being sent to my death? It was, this was my death sentence. _Be strong, Ariana. Please be strong, _I told myself.

"Walk!" She demanded, tightening her grip on me. Her nails dug into both my forearms, causing future bruising on my dead body. Victoria led me up rocky stairs, and I tripped over myself more times but Victoria's sturdy grip kept me stable. After Victoria led me up the flight of stairs, I saw a dark shaded grey sky that was growing darker by the second. As my feet stumbled on grass, dirt, and rocks, I finally stopped walking and lifted my head. My eyes flickered to horror, and for a moment, tears sparkled in my eyes. Standing in front of me, were six people I thought I'd never see again.

Embry.

Quil.

Paul.

Jared.

Sam.

_Jacob_.

They were here. They found us.

Panic gripped my heart and made it hard to breathe. My lips parted and silently gasped, taking in the people who were standing a few yards away from me. This…this couldn't be them; this was some malevolent dream I was having again, teasing me. But this pain Victoria was putting me through disagreed otherwise. Why was I in a silent state of panic? They were here to rescue me, but somewhere deep in my mind, I realized it wouldn't turn out that way. Embry was holding onto Charlotte with a tight grip. She struggled to get out, but somehow couldn't break free.

"Victoria help me." She pleaded. The red headed vampire looked at her new born and sneered, a repetition of what she did to Riley.

"Victoria!" she supplicated, crying for her creator. I looked to Charlotte and gave her a sympathetic look. Somehow I didn't say 'I told you so' or give her that 'ha-ha, I was right' kind of look. I felt sorry for her, Victoria had just screwed her over. She realized it too, her expression of hope fell and turned to despair, realizing I was right.

"Give us to her and no one gets hurt." Sam yelled.

"Somehow I don't believe that." She hissed.

"Use your damn powers and create a fire." She demanded, her eyes dilating as she looked into mine. For some reason I felt obligated to do it, as much as I didn't want to. With my good arm stretched out, I balled my fist, and with tears in my eyes, I created a fire the spread. Tears fell down my cheek. A large circle of fire engulfed everyone. I could feel the heat radiate on my skin. Jared jumped back as the fire spread to all of the dead weeds on the ground near him. The fire spread to spots in between the pack and near Victoria and I. Weren't vampires supposed to be afraid of fire? Jacob and I locked eyes for the first time in days and everything seemed to stop. We communicated to each other silently, but even though we couldn't read each other's minds, we knew what we were both thinking—_I love you_. A wind picked up, blowing stray hair away from my face.

"More fire." Victoria hissed in my ear, breaking the connection between Jacob and I. The power was draining me of my energy. Victoria's long and sharp nails dug into my skin. Tears fell down my cheek as I clenched my hand, the flames growing higher and stronger. Almost all of the pack, except Embry who was holding onto Charlotte, stepped forward to get me.

"Take one more step and she's dead." She threatened. They all stopped moving.

"If I take one more bite, she's dead. There's not enough blood left in her. So come any closer, and I bite her again or snap her neck. Your choice on how she dies." She offered. They all gulped and looked at each other with hardened expressions. My vision became blurry again, and I felt a stinging pain in my head.

"Victoria, give us to her and we'll let you go." Was that Carlisle's voice? All of the sudden, the Cullen's emerged from behind the line of fire. The flames dispersed their images.

"Ha! Like I'd believe that." She spat, her voice filled with venom.

"Victoria, please, l—" Charlotte began to speak. But then, I watched as Embry wrapped his hands around Charlotte's pale neck and with a loud cracking sound, I watched Charlotte's body go limp and her eyes close. I gasped, and with terror in my eyes, the girl fell to the floor unconsciously. Did she just die? Could vampires die from their necks getting snapped? Or was it just wood and fire that killed them? Victoria looked at Charlotte's body in rage. Her enemies had successfully killed everyone she ever partnered with…it was on. Her lips curled up into a sneer.

"Give it up, it's over. You're surrounded, there's no way out. So this will be either done the easy way, or the hard way." Sam announced.

"Fine, let's do it the hard way then." She smirked. In a matter of a second, Victoria arched her head back and sunk her teeth into my neck one last time before anyone could react.

"No!" They all yelled, but as they tried to run to save me, Victoria took my hand and squeezed it so hard I thought my bones broke. A large fire cut them off from Victoria and I. And it began spreading towards them and us. They stopped short in their places before the inferno burned them. The Cullen's jumped backwards, as fire was a vampire's death sentence. Between the flickering flames, I met Jacob's gaze and our eyes connected. His eyes glassed over with tears as he watched me take my last few breaths. _I love you_, he mouthed. My vision started to become fuzzy as my body began loosing feeling. With my mouth already being parted, I tried mouthing it back, but it turns out my face didn't move. Victoria's cold hands let go of my limp body after realizing there wasn't any more blood left in me. She tossed me to the ground like the useless human she thought I was.

"No!" The pack yelled as my head hit the dirt ground. My right arm, propped under my head, stuck out and I cold feel the cold ground brush against my hand. Through the fire, my eyes fell upon Charlotte. Her eyes were closed, her burgundy hair looked five shades brighter from the light of the fire, and there was something about her that looked peaceful as she lay there. She didn't look like the girl who harmed me to my death; she looked like the shy nice girl I met on her first day of school. Was it weird I wanted to tell her I was sorry? Maybe this was some kind of mid-death sympathy I was having for her, but I was sorry if she thought I ever hurt her intentionally. I never meant to. Now it was to late. As I gazed out onto the fire, a vision flashed in front of my eyes. Like my eyes were a hidden camera, I traveled back to the night the girls and I stepped foot into the moon pool for the first time. In those few seconds I watched the vision, I relived the moment where the pool bubbled and turned us into mermaids, unknowingly. Then the vision ended and all I saw was fire again. How long have I been down? What was going on? I couldn't see past the fire. And through the haze of that fire, I could feel my eyes take their last look of the human world. All I saw was red, orange, and yellow flames—just like in my dream, except this time, it was real. My eyes finally closed and if I could, I'd cry since that was the last sight I'd take. It was surprising I could still feel the heat from the fire radiate against my skin. Or maybe death felt like this, maybe it was hot and painless. Each passing second the feeling of some part of my body would fade away, and a sweet memory would flash in front of my closed eyes. There was my first transformation, our first swim, and then Jacob. My first kiss with him played out in front of me, every kiss and hug I had, every important moment, his death scene, and then finally, the scene from my dream—where he was lying with me in the fire. But this time, that scene wasn't a hallucination. Realizing my eyes were open, my eyes came across Jacob faced down with a piece of wood coming out of his back. He was unconscious—but was he dead? His head was turned towards me. His eyes were open and he looked at me, but mine began to close again as my body grew weaker. Victoria had hurt him—for all I knew he was dead. In fact, I think he was.

My Jacob, he was dead, and she killed him. Victoria killed him. And she killed me. I'd lost the reason for the blood running through my veins, the reason for this very heart to beat. And so did he. My eyes closed. Everything started to go as I said goodbye to my life in my uncomforting silence. Then I lost feeling of half my body. After hearing a few more flickers of the burning fire surrounding me, my hearing disappeared. I couldn't feel my heart beating, or my pulse's low thump. I was dead.

"Ariana." Jacob. His voice was a breathless whisper, the taste of fear tarnishing his mouth. Jacob? But…he was dead, how is he speaking to me? How was my hearing back? I wasn't in heaven yet, was i? I wanted to answer him so bad, it made me want to cry. It made me want to stay with the pain and speak to him.

"Ariana." He breathed my name, and it's a talisman against the black chocking panic coursing through his body. If I could have replied, I would have. But I was to weak, and I knew that death was seconds away_._ The last hazy scene that filled my vision was the moment where Jacob and I were sitting by the fire when we first me. I smiled to him, and he smiled to me. Those were the simpler times. _I love you Jacob._ Then, all the sounds stopped and Jacob's angelic voice disappeared forever.


	34. Never Let Go

**A/N: Sorry for late update, this has been written for a while. Only 1 more week of school! **

_Chapter Thirty-Four_

_Never Let Go_

_Chapter Song: Skinny Love by Birdy_

_Jacob's POV:_

The pack and I stood beside a poorly paved street and the thick beginnings of a forest. Near us, there was an old wooden city limit sign that was almost illegible. As far as I knew, this place was called Hudson Manor, and it went way back—like I'm talking about sixteen hundreds. We had unphased around ten minutes ago, and began walking so Victoria didn't sense us, but for all we knew she wasn't around here. The Cullen's were somewhere on the outskirts here, searching the other side of the forest while we got the east side.

"Where do we begin?" Quil asked, looking up to where the evergreen tree tops and dark grey sky met. It was late in the day and the last thing we wanted was for nightfall to come, it would be even harder to look for Ariana.

"Here."

"Who knows if it's going to work, this could take ours." Paul argued.

"We've got to start somewhere. And if the small Cullen is right, then this is our last resort." Sam barked. The pack and I began pushing ourselves through the forest. This would be pretty damn easier if we were in wolf form, but Sam refused. Twenty minutes passed, then thirty, and forty soon crept upon us. Nothing. I wanted to go over to one of the trees and kick it down, snap it in half, set it on fire. Nothing! How could there be nothing? How could Alice have a vision that lead us to the wrong place? The Cullen's vowed to call us if they found anything, and still without a word from them, we were hopeless. Then all of the sudden, the strong scent of bloodsucker entered our noses. We all looked at each other at the same second. Would this be the Cullen's or Victoria? I quickly retrieved my phone from my shorts pocket and dialed Carlisle with eager fingers.

"Any news?" Carlisle answered.

"Are you near us?"

"Not at all, why?"

"Well, we smell vamp, and if it's not you, that means…" Quil began talking.

"We'll be right there. Do not move." He ordered and hung up his expensive phone. We listened to the vampire's orders and stayed in our spots, only to be greeted by Edward and Carlisle.

"Where's the rest?" Sam wondered.

"They're coming." He announced, breathing in the air.

"I can hear something." Edward stopped us, concentrating hard.

"I smell something, but it's not Ariana or Victoria. It's unfamiliar. Vampire and—" I was able to smell what Carlisle was talking about.

"Charlotte." I concluded his thoughts. My heart jumped, they were somewhere around here.

"What's the plan?" Carlisle looked to us. What was the plan? Get her and leave? It surely wouldn't be that easy.

After figuring out a plan, the Cullen's broke away from us, though Edward stayed close so he could send me what Charlotte's thoughts were. Everything he heard was being transferred to me. From afar, the pack and I stalked Charlotte's every move. She was casually walking around, but she seemed angry.

"_She can't control everything I do_." The newborn vampire thought. Creepy, I could feel her thoughts. I felt like the bronze haired bloodsucker himself.

"_Whatever, who freakin' cares anyways. We both want the same thing done, and it's going to be accomplished. After this, I'll go back home and do whatever the hell I want, where no one can control me_." Come on Charlotte; give us a clue of where Ariana is.

"_Jacob, I smell a lot of blood. I don't know if it's Ariana's. Do you smell it_?" Edward passed onto me. I didn't smell it just yet. Of course it had to be Ariana's, there not a human in a fifty-mile radius of this place. If he smelled blood, was she bleeding? How hurt was she?

"_She can—what the hell? What's that disgusting smell? Ugh, it's worse than that ambergris Zane spilled on Lewis. What's going on_?" Charlotte became more aware something was in her presence. Now was our time to attack. On the other side of us, Embry and Jared were crouching behind a tree and brush, waiting for the kill.

"Wait…Victoria said that if I smelled this that'd mean—" Before she could say another word, Embry snuck up behind her, grabbed her forcefully and pulled her hands behind her back.

"Victoria!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. Her screech rang in my ears. _Shut up you stupid bloodsucker_, I thought. Edward began receiving one other thought, and then he was cut off.

"_Dogs_." Victoria hissed with venom to herself after sniffing the air, smelling our scent. Uh-oh, that wasn't part of the plan.

"She cut me off from her thoughts. And I can't hear a heartbeat apart from all of yours." She had to be here, there had to be a heartbeat. I could smell the blood—a mixture of iron and excessive salt to go along with her fish side. A faint heartbeat entered my eardrums. She was alive.

"_Barely_." Edward reminded. We all came out of our hiding spots and dragged Charlotte forward, towards the sound of the weak heartbeat and stench of blood. It was time to get into positions, I stood in the front with Sam to my left and Quil to my right. Embry was to the right of all of us, holding back Charlotte, who was struggling to get out.

"Let go of me you disgusting dogs!" She ordered. In back of us stood Jared and Paul. The rest of the Cullen's, who I just sensed to arrive, were hiding behind and in the trees. It was our plan, our surprise attack. The chilling thoughts ran through my mind, wondering how bad Ariana was hurt. It's been almost a week now, and I could guarantee that she was emaciated by now. Going that long without food or water was impossible for a human. I could hear footsteps and Victoria demanding for Ariana to walk. They were walking up stairs, quickly, and then in moments, they were in sight. Victoria, holding Ariana's hands behind her back, pushed her forward. There was a sickening, tight feeling in my stomach as I looked at her. Her head was tilted down, staring at the ground. Her skin—pale as the bloodsuckers themselves. The lining of her shirt was tainted with blood around the neck, forearm, and sleeve of one of her hands. Some of it was fresh blood; I could tell by the smell that entered my nose. She lifted her head up, stray hairs falling in her face but then gently being taken back by a light breeze. Her eyes were glassy, as were mine. Her face looked sunken in. Her lips parted as she took in air, and when her eyes laid on us, something in her eyes lit up. They were lifeless, but now that she saw us, if it was as if her prayers have been answered. I could hear the silent gasp she took in while her eyes glanced from Embry to everyone else.

"Victoria help me." Charlotte begged. The bloodsucker looked at her and scoffed, not caring about the newborn.

"Give us to her and no one gets hurt." Sam yelled out the plan we arranged. First, we'd start off easy. This had to work one way or another. No one would die today.

"Somehow I don't believe that." For a bloodsucker, she was pretty damn smart. She turned to Ariana and looked into her eyes, compelling her.

"Use your damn powers and create a fire." Victoria forced. Ariana stretched her hand out and balled her fist as she let tears fill up her eyes. The ground began to smoke, then flames sprouted out of no where. Tears rolled down her cheek, she didn't want to do this. Jared jumped back as the fire grew near him when it spread to further ground. The fire engulfed us in a large oval. It circled behind Victoria and Ariana and all the way to behind us, cutting off our connection with the Cullen's. We hadn't expected that. I looked back up and Ariana finally met my eye contact. My world seemed to stop as we looked into each other. I love you, I thought, wishing she could read my mind. The expression in her eyes made me realize she was thinking the same thing.

"More fire." Victoria demanded from her, breaking the connection between us. Multiple tears ran down her cheek as she clenched her hand, making the flames grow higher. That was it, we needed to get her now. She was growing weaker by the second.

"Take one more step and she's dead." Victoria announced as we took our first step. Then we stopped moving, and breathing.

"If I take one more bite, she's dead. There's not enough blood left in her. So come any closer, and I bite her again or snap her neck. Your choice on how she dies." She offered. Sam and I exchanged glances; this wasn't booked in our plan. What were we going to do? It was the bloodsucker's turn to cut in

"Victoria, give us to her and we'll let you go." Carlisle revealed himself from outside the circle of flames.

"Ha! Like I'd believe that."

"Victoria, please, l—" Charlotte was cut off by her neck being snapped. If Victoria was going to play hard, we were ready to play hard—if it meant getting Ariana back. Victoria watched as Charlotte fell to the floor unconscious and her lips curled up into a sneer.

"Give it up, it's over. You're surrounded, there's no way out. So this will be either done the easy way, or the hard way." Sam, this wasn't going to work. I can tell, something was going to happen. My pulse increased and I stopped myself from beginning to shake.

"Fine, let's do it the hard way then." She smirked and before any of us could react, she had her teeth in Ariana's neck.

"No!" We all screamed at the same time. As we ran towards her, Victoria controlled Ariana's hand and started a line of fire directly in our path. We were trapped and so was Ariana. Tears pooled in my eyes, she was going to die. I heard her heartbeat grow slower and slower. She met my gaze and our eyes connected. She could tell I was crying, but how could I not be? My girlfriend, the love of my life was taking her last few breaths of life. She was being murdered; her life was being cut to short. She couldn't die now, it was to early for her. She had so much more to life for. The fire began hazing the connection between us. I mouthed I love you to her. Her eyes never left me and my heart fell below my feet. Do something; use your powers on Victoria. Get away! Burn her! Anything would work, as long as she could get to us. But as the milliseconds passed, it occurred to me that the reason she couldn't use her powers was because they were draining her…and she didn't have any more life left. Victoria let the strong grip on Ariana's lifeless body go, and she fell to the floor.

"No!" We repeated. Her body hit the ground with a thud. Victoria's head tilted up as she swallowed the remaining blood in her mouth. Blood trickled out of the corners of her lips, leaving a liquidy red stain down her chin. She wiped it away with her sleeve and the veins around her eyes disappeared. Through the flames, I could still see that her eyes were still open. They were expressionless, but they were open. Her chest was slowly moving, but as time passed it got slower and slower.

"Come and get me." Victoria screamed. That was it, I was about to rip her head off. Emmett and Jasper made a long jump as they ran and flung themselves over the fire in seconds. The pack and I did the same, not caring if we got burned. They grabbed ahold of Victoria and began fighting at an unrecognizable speed. Every blow we gave to her, she'd give two back to us. Bones from Victoria's body snapped, but quickly recovered. She wasn't going to give up without a fight, and a good one at that. I kicked her in the stomach and she was sent to the ground. But using her vampire speed, she got right back up again.

"Come on dog, upset I killed your girlfriend?" She egged on as I punched her and she did the same right back to me. Victoria motioned her hand and the fire grew stronger, and she smiled. Did she just gain some of Ariana's powers because she killed her? The fight was just between the two of us. Finally, as I caught a glimpse of Ariana, Victoria took advantage and grabbed broken wood from the ground and jabbed it in my back, then partially snapped my neck—but not enough to kill me. Werewolves only died from a vampire bite or a staking to the heart—the usual. I fell to the ground face first and passed out.

_Damn it Jacob, get up._

_She needs you._

_She's dead._

My eyes opened and I could feel my bones reconnecting. A groan escaped my mouth from the pain. Through the hazy fire, I swore I could see Ariana's brown eyes staring at me, through the fire, and then they would close forever. _Get up_, I yelled to myself. This skin surrounding the stake was trying to close up, but the wood sticking out disagreed with its healing. I tried pushing myself off the ground but I fell down with a groan from sheer pain.

_Revenge_.

The word echoed in my mind. Get revenge for her killing your imprint, the dark side of my mind was talking. I pushed myself up and my arm wrapped around my back, taking out the stake. I gasped in pain but it quickly faded. I immediately got up from my place on the ground and ran over to Victoria. I got her on a perfect time, her guard was down and she wasn't expecting me. One of my hands wrapped around my neck and the other around her shoulder. I could hear her shoulder crack and her start to weaken. I took the same stake she stabbed in me and stabbed it in her chest. She gasped for air as her skin started to turn to stone. Her eyes hardened and stopped blinking, They turned grey along with the rest of her.

"Fire, now!" Carlisle demanded. Once I knew they took care of her, I ran over to Ariana and kneeled down.

"Ariana." I whispered, getting a close look at all the damage Victoria had done. Her neck was stained with blood and vampire bites. One of her wrists had Victoria's teeth marks in it, and that same hand had a deep gash in the palm that was fresh.

"Ariana." I said her name again, waiting for a response. There was a part of me that expected her eyes to flutter open and for her to smile, say she was fine. But, there was no heartbeat evident. She laid on her side, one arm propped under her head. I rolled her over onto her back and laid her arm by her side. A tear fell down my face, and then it was followed by a few more. She was really dead.

"Damn it." I cried.

"Damn it!" I punched the ground, crying. I grabbed her shoulders and shook her body.

"Wake up!" I demanded. All that happened was her head tilted to the side.

"Wake up." I cried. How could I not realize the amount of tears running down my face?

"Ariana, please. I love you." Time escaped me; I wasn't sure how long it's been since I was sitting here. Behind me, I could feel the stare of the pack and the bloodsuckers all on us, but I didn't care. Somewhere behind me, Sam was standing away from everyone. His heart dropped into his stomach as he realized his sister was dead. At some point, Carlisle's shoes came into view as I looked down to Ariana's face. I looked up, my face red and eyes watering. He had bits of blood on his shirt.

"Wake her up. Make her wake up." My lips pursed together to stop myself from sobbing.

"I'll do the best I can." He promised, I got up and let him have my spot. He knew he couldn't wake her up though. As I got up, I caught a view of Charlotte standing up with a hand pressed to her head. I ran over to her and rammed her into a tree.

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't kill you right now!" I yelled.

"I'm not the one who killed her."

"You did no good, she's dead. She's still _dead_. " I pushed her into the wood bark even harder.

"Kill me, go ahead." She suggested. But as I thought, killing her would be easy.

"Killing you would be easy. You deserve to go through ten times the amount you did to her." Her brows furrowed together, as if she thought I'd kill her and it be done as quick as that.

"Your temporary funeral." I hissed with hatred, wrapping my hands around her neck and snapping her neck even harder than Embry did, making sure she'd stay passed out longer this time. As Charlotte's body fell to the ground, again, I turned around. Most of the fire was put out, but there was still some burning into the ground. The pack and the bloodsuckers were dispersed around the area where the fight happened. Jasper had a hand on Alice's shoulder. She looked heartbroken. Emmett was holding Rosalie's hand as she guiltily looked down to the floor. Edward shared the same look Rosalie had on her face. He didn't even have to send me his thoughts; I knew what he was saying. I'm sorry. Esme was quietly holding her hands together with pursed lips, occasionally looking over to Ariana's body. The pack was standing close to each other. Their eyes were glassy, bodies battered, and their shorts stained with blood. They stayed farther back away from Carlisle. Sam on the other hand was standing closer than the rest of them. His face was red, as was mine. His eyes were closed as he took in the moment and he bit down on his lips. As I walked up to him, he could feel my presence.

"I never should have let her here. She never would have gotten into this." His eyes squeezed shut tighter. He finally opened his tear packed eyes and looked to me.

"I'm sorry, Jacob." He apologized, trying not to let any tears fall. Seeing that not crying wasn't an option, he closed his eyes and his head hung down in disappointment.

"I'm sorry." His voice was quiet and shaking. I walked away from him and back over to Ariana. Dead. She was gone. The love of my life was dead. I'd never hear her breathing again, talk again. She'd never hold me or touch me or kiss me again. Was this how she felt when I died for a few minutes? Surely this was much worse, she was really dead. She was gone. I watched her take her last breath.

"Jacob." I looked to Carlisle.

"Before you react to quickly to his, please think about this and the risks it'll take…" He began. My brows furrowed, nervous for what he was about to say.


	35. The Awakening

**A/N: Next chapter! Thank you so much for your kind reviews! I was reading some earlier chapters I posted and I'm gonna re-vamp some of them tonight/tomorrow and I'll be posting them, but the plot won't really change! Just how I wrote them! **

_Chapter Thirty-Five_

_The Awakening_

_Chapter Song: We Don't Eat by: James Vincent McMorrow_

**Alice Cullen POV:**

In silence, my family, the wolf pack, and I sat in our living room. Edward was currently taking Bella back to her house, since she snuck out late last night. And if my vision was right, which it always was, they should be arriving in the next forty-two seconds. Esme walked in with a tray filled with piping mugs of coffee, for the dogs of course. Drinking that stuff was vile to us.

"Thanks." Sam croaked, taking a sip of the drink. It was the only thing keeping him awake for the past thirty-seven hours. It was around four or five in the morning, it was always hard to know what hour it was at the time of night. Staying awake forever had its down sides. Sam had barely spoken in these long thirty-seven hours. But who would blame him? His sister was dead. Jared, Embry, and Paul were asleep on the couch. Paul was tightly hugging a pillow to his body. Quill fell asleep at one point five hours or so ago, but it wasn't for long. On the other hand, Sam and Jacob stayed up for the past day and a half without any sleep. They couldn't, Jacob refused to let himself fall asleep for the slightest second. He was waiting for her to wake up…if she ever did. As many times as I tried to tell him I'd have a vision before she did, he still said no—over and over again.

But, that was the problem. There were no visions coming to me for the past few days. It was because someone who has no future, won't show up in my visions. There was a very low chance of her waking up, though I never dared to tell the dogs that. Especially Jacob, he was distraught enough. He was the one that killed Victoria after all, it was his fight with her in the end. She killed his imprint. Killed was possibly the wrong word for it. In all my hundreds of years on this earth, I couldn't come up with a better term. In Carlisle's words, there was the possible reawakening with what he did for her, but again, the chances were low. The amount of injuries she had, no human could survive that alone. And I felt terrible for her. She was a, _somewhat_, normal girl that got dragged into something she never asked for. She protected herself, the pack, and even us at one point. And Victoria forgot all about her revenge on Edward so she can get back at Ariana for helping us. From what I learned from Jacob, Charlotte was also a mermaid. She used to be part of this 'group' they had back in Australia until she went power crazy and Ariana and her friends had to try to get rid of her powers. But, that never happened. Then, Charlotte had paired up with the perfect person looking for revenge. And the two of them combined was death.

None of my family spoke either, we didn't know what to say. Sams sister, Jacobs imprint, the rest of the packs friend was as good as dead in our spare room. All of the sudden, Jared rolled over and fell off the couch and onto our wood floors. He woke up with a groan and looked around, very confused. His brows furrowed as he saw all of us looking at him. Embry and Paul woke up and looked to Jared.

"You guys go home." Sam ordered. One of the first real sentences he's said in about two days.

"No, we're okay." Embry assured.

"She's my sister and his imprint, it's fine, you don't have to be here."

"But she's our friend." Jared made a valid point.

"You guys haven't slept in two days, come on, go home." The three boys looked at each other.

"We'll come back later, okay?" Sam nodded his head. Embry, Paul, and Jared all got up and said their goodbyes before they left. They walked out of the living room and out the glass front door and we proceeded to sit in a penetrating silence.

"I'm sorry this happened." I piped up, breaking the silence. Jacob looked up, his eyes looking dead and teary.

"It's not your fault." His eyes fell down to his coffee.

"We should have done more." Rosalie admitted.

"There wasn't anymore to do." Jacob's voice cracked.

"No, we could—" As Rosalie began to speak, I heard a gasp, breathing, enter my eardrums. I looked around, no one seemed to make the noise. So, who would it be? Oh my God. Was it true? Ariana. I myself, gasped quietly and using my vampire speed, I was up the stairs in two seconds flat. By the time I reached the spare bedroom, I found her eyes closed and she was in the same position she's been in for two days. I heard her! That had to be her! Maybe I didn't get here fast enough; it took me a few seconds to realize that was her. _I wasn't fast enough._

"Alice? What happened?" Carlisle asked, now beside me.

"I…" Peering into the room, I couldn't help but wonder what had happened. Did she really wake up? I didn't hear a heartbeat, or I didn't have time to. What happened? The questions were killing me.

"What happened? Sam and Jacob ran into the hallway.

"I thought I heard her breathing." Jacob looked into the room as well, to see her unchanged.

"Alice, I think you've been mistaken." Carlisle put a cold hand on my shoulder.

"I guess." I sighed. I looked back into the room. It was like a painting, and Ariana looked like a statue. Everything in that room was so still it was hard to believe you could walk right in there.

"Let's go, I think you need to go hunt later." Carlisle suggested.

"Maybe." I shrugged. Sam's shoulders fell and he sighed, the thought of his sister waking up toyed with him. He followed us downstairs. Then, I noticed Jacob wasn't moving along with us.

"Jacob, are you coming?" Carlisle asked, turning around to the boy.

"It's fine, I'm gonna stay here for a few minutes." Carlisle nodded his head, understanding Jacob's wish to be with his dead imprint. I gave him a sympathetic smile, and so did Carlisle. Jacob walked into the room and moved straight next to Ariana's bed.

"I'll be right down Carlisle." I whispered. I planted myself besides the door to the spare room Carlisle had turned into a hospital room for Ariana, and I listened along with spied on Jacob. He had his hands in his pockets as he looked at her with his eyes tearing up. He reached up, letting one hand graze her ice-cold cheek.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered.

"Please wake up. You can't leave me, I love you to much." His voice was soft, but I could hear the pain through it. But, Ariana didn't wake up. And as much as he'd try to for the next several hours, I could guarantee that she wasn't going to. But he stopped. He pursed his lips, squeezed his eyes shut, and walked over to the chair and sat down. I felt bad for Jacob, I really did. He didn't deserve this. No one did.

**Ariana's POV:**

Everything in my mind was peaceful, which had to mean I was fast asleep. That was the only time my mind never wandered. That was one of my favorite parts of sleeping, the way I felt completely passed out.

"_I do my best, to find some kind of glow_" My alarm clock screeched my favorite song I suggested for it to play when I awoke, causing my body to jolt awake and my eyes to open. "_I'm giving it some heart and soul now, from the darkest grays, the sun bursts, clouds break_." The song went on, I reached over and turned up the radio alarm, smiling to the lyrics and bobbing my head to the beat in the process. It was exactly six forty five in the morning, and for some reason, I felt good. It's been normal for me to wake up like this for the past few months, I was enjoying life as a half fish half human girl—minus the drama at times it was pretty fun. I reached over to tear the warm covers off of me and I swung my legs over the side of my bed. The shades were wide open, letting the bright sun shine in.

"_Today feels like no other!"_ The lead singer sung. Today was going to be good, I could tell already by the smile tugging away at my lips. I pushed myself off the bed and happily made my way over to my dresser and started at myself in the mirror as I wrapped my long brown hair into a ponytail. My hands grazed a necklace that was placed on my dresser and slipped the chain around two fingers, swooping it up to my neck. My hands reached back and clasped the chain behind my neck and my eyes drifted up, staring at myself in the mirror. The silver locket around my neck was the locket I shared with my three best friends.

"Ooh-ooh-oh-oh." The song ended. With closed lips, I smiled, pleased with myself.

Walking down the stairs and through the short corridor of my house, I walked into the brightly lit kitchen in my favorite pair of denim shorts and ruffled powder blue camisole.

"Hey." Rikki greeted, pouring coffee from the pot into the ceramic mug that had '_I'd rather be surfing' _stamped in big letters. Underneath it, in small blue letters was 'Honolulu Hawaii'. In back of her, Emma was munching on a power bar and Cleo was sipping on a glass of orange juice.

"When did you guys get here?" I leaned on the cold tiled center island.

"Ten minutes ago, door was open, don't worry your mom knows we're here." Said, Cleo, after checking her phone from any messages from Lewis. Of course, my mom had begun to expect this over the past few months. Cleo, Emma, and Rikki were here almost every day before school.

"Wow, I should just give you copies of my key." I picked up the coffee pot and poured myself a cup of coffee.

"That wouldn't be necessary, we know where you hide the spare." Rikki playfully smirked, her voice tone growing to a whisper as she heard my mom come down the stairs.

"Morning!" A cheerful voice wafted into the room. It belonged to my mother. Putting the coffee pot down, I turned around to see the brunette in her early forties smiling at me.

"Morning Mom." I smiled. She walked over to me and kissed my cheek, tucking stray hairs behind my ear. As she began to walk away, something felt different. _And in one instant, my eyes opened._

I was greeted by nothing but darkness and a faint beeping sound. Where were my friends? My mom? The bright and cheerful kitchen that belonged to my house back in Australia? After my eyes readjusted, it took me a minute to understand that I had been dreaming, and this was reality…whatever that meant. My eyes shifted around, getting a good look at my surroundings. Beside me, there was a lamp and a machine that looked like a heart monitor. The beeping was coming from there. I looked down to see I was dressed in a blandly pattern hospital gown. A warm blanket and several sheets were placed over me and covered me from the top of my stomach down. My left hand rested on the top of the sheets, an oximeter probe was pressed down on the right index finger. I blinked, was this real? My head turned to the side again, and I tried lifting my body up. I was too weak, everything hurt. The farthest I got was maybe an inch off the comfortable pillow underneath my head. Where was I? Before I could try to get up and make an effort to find out where I was, I noticed someone was in the room with me. Their back was turned to me, but I somehow almost immediately recognized who it was. I've seen that back so many times.

"Jacob?" My voice sounded fragile and confused. He spun around and realized I was awake. His eyes widened, not believing the sight. Why was he so surprised? Did he know where I was? What was going on? My muscles felt like lifeless bags of flour, as if I'd spent an entire day at the gym. When I tried to move my legs, the same thing. My body hurt so bad. My thoughts repeated, _what was going on_? I remember…Charlotte. And Victoria, they were working together. They kidnapped me, and there was a fire. Trying to remember anything passed that just brought a throbbing pain to my forehead that I could definitely do without. I couldn't recall where I was, but it was somewhere where I felt safer from where I was before. Memory loss sucked. I silently groaned, hadn't I just gone through this yesterday? When was yesterday? What day was it? And most importantly, I wanted to find out where I was.

"Carlisle!" he yelled. Jacob ran over to me and forcefully kissed my lips as he cupped a warm hand around my cheek. In seconds, Carlisle was in the room. Jacob looked as if he was crying, he stayed in his spot next to my bed and Carlisle got on the other side. The vampire forcefully grabbed my face and turned it side to side.

"I can't tell. She looks fine, but then again so do you." Jacob frantically looked to Carlisle, who was silent as he examined my face. My head was tilted up and to the side. Carlisle's freezing hands touched my neck, I jolted in response.

"She's fine. Ariana, can you hear me?" Carlisle asked slowly. I nodded my head, not wanting to speak.

"Do you know who we are?"

"Jacob and Carlisle."

"Do you know _what_ we are?"

"Werewolf and vampire." I hate how my voice sounded. I was weak.

"Okay, good. You don't have amnesia and your heart rate seems abnormally fine," said Carlisle as he checked the meters near my bed. "Tell me, are you feeling weak? Dizzy? Lightheaded?" I nodded and squinted my eyes at the pounding headache I had. It hurt to open my eyes.

"All of the above."

"Do you feel any different? Headache? Throat burning? Hunger?" Why would I have any of that besides a headache?

"Headache." My voice cracked. Carlisle looked to Jacob and shook his head. Jacob looked relieved.

"I'll give you something for that. But for now, I'll leave you two alone. Jacob, please call me if she needs anything." The vampire doctor walked out of the room. I bared the pain and sat up. There was a burning pain in my neck. Dear god it hurt so bad. My hand lifted up to my neck and graced something soft—a gauze pad. The tape holding it down pulled my skin taught. It was where Victoria bit me, and killed me. I just let all my emotions go after that. When memories began coming back to me, about how badly I was tortured, I let it go. Grief, remorse, sadness, misery, pain, all these emotions went through me like a current. I squeezed my eyes shut as a tear rolled down my cheek. It was always good to cry it out, you always felt better afterwards. But this wasn't the case. My lips quivered and I silently sobbed. My breath was shaky as I opened my mouth to breathe. Jacob took my hand and constricted it with his.

"Your okay now," Jacob comforted, "she's not going to hurt you. None of them will.

"How am I even alive? She killed me."

"Carlisle helped you." His fingers grazed my cheek.

"What? He helped me?" And then Jacob explained to me, taking me back to the hour that I technically did die.

"_There's a chance she's still alive, but not for much longer." Carlisle had said._

"_There's no heartbeat. I'd hear it." Jacob was still crying._

"_But it's possible to revive her. If I give her some of my blood, she might be able to live. It'll heal her._

"_But if she dies with it in her system, she'll turn into a vampire. Hell no, she'll never want that." Jacob spat._

"_Without it she's dead. With it, I can't guarantee that she won't die and transition or just die."_

"_She's going to turn, she's already dead."_

"_Jacob, do you want her dead or alive?"_

"_She'll be dead either way!"_

"I chose for him to give you his blood. Even if it would have turned you."

"So I'm a vampire?" I gasped. I couldn't be a vampire. Vampire and werewolves hated each other. I didn't want to drink blood; I didn't want to be dead.

"No," relieved Jacob, "you never turned. It healed you. You never fully died." A wave of relief washed over me. I didn't die, but I felt like it did.

"Where are we?" I finally asked, curiosity getting the best of me.

"The Cullen's house."

"How long have I been here?" my voice cracked.

"Two days." I've been passed out for two days?

"Where is everyone?" I was getting tired with bombarding Jacob with questions.

"The rest of the guys are back at the house, Sam was downstairs until ten minutes ago. He needed air."

"He's gonna kill me." I said under my breath.

"For what?" Jacob exclaimed.

"Getting involved." Jacob took my hand into his and looked me in the eyes.

"He is so worried about you, the last thing he's going to do is kill you. He doesn't want to lose you, neither do I."

"I'm sorry, Jacob. For everything. For all the trouble I caused."

"No. I'm sorry for letting this happen."

"It's not your fault."

"I was asleep feet from you. I should have been awake making sure she didn't come in."

"There was no way to avoid this. It was going to happen whether you were awake or not. Victoria always gets what she wants. And she did."

"I'm sorry," said Jacob as he ran his fingers over my cheek, "don't ever leave me again."

"I promise." Somehow, I managed to curl my lips upward in a semblance of a somewhat smile. Downstairs, as Alice sat in silence with Rosalie and Jasper by her side, Sam walked through the back door. He didn't look any more refreshed, because he wasn't. He was stressed out more than ever. In his mind, I still wasn't awake and I wasn't going to awake any time soon.

"Sam," Alice almost gasped as he walked through the door. She jumped up front her seat. He stopped in his place, his thick brows furrowing.

"What?" He sounded sad.

"She…" Alice pointed upstairs, forming her lips to talk but Sam got the idea of what she was going to say.

"No…" He noticed when Jacob wasn't here. He got the wrong idea. Sam began sprinting through the room and up the stairs. His heart was beating erratically as it dropped down to his stomach. Sam finally reached the room, almost tripping over his over feet. From his stomach, his heart dropped to the floor. I looked up from watching Jacob stroke my bandaged hand.

"Sam." I said in a breath, a faint smile lighted up my face. I never thought I was going to see him again. I missed him so much. His shoulders fell and he let out a heavy breath.

"Jacob, out. Now." He demanded. Jacob looked to me and refused to move.

"It's okay." I assured, patting his hand. Reluctantly, Jacob got up and walked out the door. He closed the sliding door and flicked a lamp on. I squeezed my eyes shut at the harsh light. It was the first light I've seen in a week…besides the five minutes outside before I was 'killed'.

"What's going on? How are you feeling? When did you wake up? Do you—"

"Sam. One at a time, please."

"How are you feeling?"

"Weak, very weak. And I have a headache."

"Granted. You're lucky to have survived so many blows to the head, Ariana. Most people die from such severe head trauma."

"But most people don't get healing blood from vampires."

"Jacob told you about that?"

"Yes." I nodded my head, laying myself back down. I moaned in pain as a shiver was sent through my aching spine.

"What?" Sam alerted, ready to help me.

"I'm just hurting," as I gulped, a hard lump formed in my throat, "that's all." I turned my head to look at him. The sounds of the sheets wrinkling together under my head sounded in my ears.

"When did you wake up?"

"Uhh," I paused trying to remember, "I don't know, ten minutes ago?"

"It's fine if you can't remember."

"I'm sorry, it hurts to think." My eyelids felt heavy. I've been sleeping for, from what Jacob told me, about two days. Why was I so sleepy?

"I really thought I was never going to see you again," Sam took a seat by my side. I kept quiet the whole time because of the fact I was feeling physically and mentally exhausted. "I'm so sorry for dragging you into this." Sam started.

"Sam, this isn't your fault. I was bound to get involved in this, it's not like you could have stopped it."

"I never should allowed you here. I should have let your mom let you stay in the house alone, that was plan B." There was the bombshell.

"What?" I gaped, "I could have stayed in Australia?"

"If I said no to you coming here, your mom said she was going to let you stay in your old house by yourself. It wasn't the brightest idea, you're sixteen you can't live on your own just yet. Yes she would have paid the bills and food but we couldn't let you be alone." There were so many mixed feelings going through my head. I could have stayed with my friends, I never had to go through the pain Charlotte and Victoria had put me through, Charlotte never had to become a vampire, and my secret didn't have to be spilled to seven people. But if I never came here, I never would have met Jacob, I never would have grown a friendship with the pack, I never would have had a motherly figure like Emily watching over me, and I never would have built my sibling relationship with Sam. So it was good I came here, even if I didn't have to.

"Please don't blame yourself." I begged.

"But—"

"Sam." I stopped him. He pursed his lips, nodding in understanding what I was trying to get a point. A knock from the door made me grimace, it rung in my ears.

"Not now, Jacob," said, Sam, a little to loud for my liking. The door opened anyways, but it was Carlisle.

"Sorry for interrupting," he apologized, "but it's time for another…" he held up a syringe filled with red liquid. My eyes fell on the needle and I jumped.

"What is that?" I gasped.

"Vampire blood," he simply said, "I've been giving it to you for the past two days, and it's what's been healing you." Sam eyed the tube of blood in disgust.

"I'll be outside if you need me. Please call if anything's wrong." He patted my hand and got up, muttering a quick 'thank you' to Carlisle. Then we were alone.

"You know, drinking this would be ten times more efficient." Informed, Carlisle.

"No." I immediately disagreed. With a sigh, Carlisle agreed with my decision. I chomped down on my lip as I felt the cold point of the needle stick through my skin. Whether it be shots or taking blood, I always felt the need to have an ill feeling come over me when there was a needle in my presence.

"I'm not going to become a vampire, am I?" My voice croaked, asking Carlisle after a bit of silence.

"Not unless you die with my blood in your system. Which is very unlikely since you're under our very attentive eye." He smiled.

"Am I going to die?" Where were all these questions coming from, I was feeling really out of it.

"No, not from what I can see," Carlisle paused to take out the needle from my arm, "get some rest, you need it." I need rest? That's all I've been doing for the past two days! But I couldn't disagree with him, I felt exhausted from being awake for twenty minutes. My eyes closed to rest, but as soon as Carlisle stepped out of the room, Jacob walked back in and sat by my side once again. I could feel his presence as he took my hand in his. But I was to weak to talk, to weak for my eyes to open. I just wanted to sleep.

"I love you." His comforting voice whispered before I fell back to sleep.

**JACOB'S POV:**

It was three in the morning, and after Ariana fell asleep a few hours ago, I did too. But now I was awake, standing outside in the hallway with Sam and, unfortunately, Edward. The rest of the bloodsuckers were out hunting, so we were left here. It was assured that Embry, Paul, Jared, and even Quil, were back at Sam's house catching up at their much-needed sleep they were craving for days. They failed to know that Ariana was awake, but when they awoke they'd find the voicemails Sam left them so they were thoroughly informed.

"I'm a bit worried about that cut. It's still seeping blood a bit…" Sam said quietly, looking at the scene through the doorway to the Cullen's spare bedroom. He was eyeing the gash on her forehead, which was a product from the multiple hits to the head Ariana's received.

"It'll be fine, it should be healed up soon." Edward said, playing makeshift doctor while Carlisle was out getting a bite to eat. With a loud sigh, Sam walked away. My stare on Ariana never lifted, I watched her every single move.

"When are you going to tell her?" Edward asked, prying.

"When the time's right." I chomped down on my lip from my nerves.


	36. Girl Talk

**A/N: Sorry for such a short and boring chapter! I'm leaving for camp this week so I've been busy getting ready and updating other stories. IF YOU LIKE TEEN WOLF CHECK OUT MY STORY THE CHOSEN :] Next update will be probably around August 4****th**** or 6****th****. Sorry guys! I feel bad :[ Please don't abandon this! And tell me if you like Alice and Ariana girl time :] **

_Chapter Thirty-Six:_

_Girl Talk_

_Chapter Song: Fix You by Coldplay_

"_Did I mention how happy I am we're mermaids again?" I flopped my tail in the water of he moon pool, sitting beside Cleo, Emma, and Rikki. We had just acquired our powers back, thanks to the moon pool._

"_Not as much as I am." Agreed Emma, Cleo and Rikki nodded their heads in much agreement._

"_I can't believe Lewis his hid this from us." Cleo rolled her eyes._

"_He's Lewis, of course he did." Rikki said._

"_You're not going to tell Zane we got out powers back, right?" Emma wondered to Rikki._

"_It doesn't matter, he left."_

"_What?" We simultaneously said._

"_Zane left. His dad's sending him to a boarding school. So, our secrets safe from him."_

"_I'm sorry." Cleo apologized to her._

"_Why? It's not like I care." She shrugged._

"_You don't have to act like that. You liked him and he's leaving, that must effect you in some way."_

"_Right now, I'm just happy everything's alright. Denman's gone, we have our tails back, all is right with the world." We all looked to Rikki and then Cleo attacked her in a hug, then I did too. Though Emma wanted to, she couldn't since she was besides me, but instead she engulfed me in a hug._

"_I love you guys!" Cleo squealed._

My eyes opened from yet another flashback dream. Though I didn't notice, a quiet gasp escaped my lips. The room I was in was brighter that the last time I awoke. Through the slats of the white vinyl blinds, I could see the overcast sky. Wind rustled the evergreen trees outside. The brightness of the sun was too much. I turned my head away from the window, feeling a tug on my neck where my bite was. _Right_.

"Morning." Jacob softly said. My head turned to find him. He stood up from the chair he's been sleeping in for the past few days and he walked over to me. Bending down, Jacob pecked my lips.

"Morning." I weakly sat up. I hated how week my body felt, it still wasn't up to my full potential. I wanted to go home, I wanted to go out for a long swim. I didn't want to feel like this anymore.

"How are you feeling?" Jacob asked as he always did whenever I woke up. Every day it was the same answer.

"A little better."

"But not perfect?"

"I'm fine." I promised, my hand grazed his cheek. He bent down to kiss me again.

"You're awake! Perfect!" Our kiss was interrupted by a cherry voice. Alice Cullen. We broke apart and our attention was turned to her.

"Hi." I partially smiled to her.

"Jacob, go for a run." Alice ordered instead of suggesting to him. He stared at her with narrowed eyes.

"No." He stated.

"Come on, give us some girl time." Her face was perked up. He looked to me with raised brows. As much as I didn't want to agree, I slowly nodded my head. Jacob exhaled through his nose in partial anger, but then he went to kiss me and with the usual 'yell if you need me', he left. Alice skipped into the room and sat herself gracefully on the bed.

"So, how are you _really_ feeling?" She wondered. How did she hear me? "Vampire hearing." She lifted her pointer finger up to her ears. She must have seen the confused expression on my face.

"I hate feeling like this," I admitted with a defeated sigh, "I can't stand it. I feel drained, and weak, and disgustingly ugly."

"Then maybe we can fix that." She smiled, waving up a black box around the size of a large clutch. It was a make up kit. A smile brightened up my face and excitedly, Alice opened the box. It expended to about four times it's original size and everything imaginable was found in there—from eye shadows and eyeliner to lipsticks and foundation. Alice began her prep. She squirted foundation onto an applicator sponge and began rubbing it indo my face.

"Foundation. It's like a miracle drug for the skin."

"God knows my skin needs it."

"It's just looking a little pale. Nothing more than a simple stroke of bronzer can help." Alice shuffled through the kit and rubbed a brush into a rectangle of pressed powder. She began sweeping the brush over my skin.

"You know, I liked you ever since I met you in Bio your first day."

"Really? I don't make that great of impressions." I smirked, laughing at my pathetic self.

"Well what really stuck with me was that you lived in Italy, and you thought the shopping was to die for." She was right. I had said that.

"I forgot about that." I by mistakenly said that allowed.

"My family gets so sick of me and my shopping slash beauty needs. It's nice talking to someone who actually enjoys it." She chuckled.

"You would have loved it in Australia. This one time my friends and I went on this major shopping spree after my friend Rikki got this sort of illegal mermaid job. It was really weird but I don't think I've ever spent so much in a mall before."

"Illegal mermaid job?" She laughed.

"There was this guy who payed her to get exotic, rare, fish. He told her they were being protected but he was actually selling them to pet stores."

"That's so wrong!" She cried.

"We know. That's why we did something about it." I warily smiled.

"Mermaids fighting crime, who would have thought of it." Alice was in disbelief.

"Fighting crime? Not so much. We like calling it 'getting revenge'."

"Well, after all my years on this earth, I've finally decided that as fun as revenge can be, it's never satisfying enough."

"Yeah, especially if you're the victim of it." I whispered. Alice continued on my make up, after finishing up my eyes, she began talking again.

"What's it like to be a mermaid?" She wondered, and so did I. I searched my head for answers.

"It's incredible. You feel like you're one with the water. You can swim faster, hold your breath for twenty minutes, possibly more, we haven't tested it yet. It's the best thing that's ever happened to me. It's hard to explain, but it is."

"But what about the dangers of being caught?"

"There's always that. And there's always that problem of never being able to go in the beach in public, or the worries of it starting to rain whenever you're out for a jog or in the outdoor malls. But still, those problems aren't enough to make me give it up ever again."

"You gave it up once?" Alice asked, shocked. My head nodded.

"There was a woman named Linda Denman, she was a marine biologist, she found out about us with the help of my friends Rikki's boyfriends dad, Harrison. He didn't mean any harm but after they trapped us in our Moon Pool and then Rikki's boyfriend found out, which was a problem because he had this whole 'mermaid's are real' conniption weeks before. But that wasn't the point. He helped us escape and an old woman named Ms. Chatham who used to be a mermaid helped us by saying that they'd never stop until they got us. So she told us how to get rid of our tails and we did it."  
"So how are you a mermaid now?"

"It was a lie. It only short-circuited our powers for twelve hours. I went to the beach early the next morning and I stepped foot in the water. Ten seconds later, I fell and had my tail back. Thank God."

"That's amazing." Alice raved. I nodded my head, thinking back to that day.

"What's it like to be a vampire?" I asked Alice.

"You know, it's weird. The whole being dead part hasn't really hit me yet. Maybe in the next hundred years it will," she giggled," but I've grown to it. I've adapted to drinking animal blood. I don't remember my old life so this is all I've got. And I love it, I'm so grateful. It's awesome being the living dead and having psychic powers. But there's time I wish I remembered what it was like to be a human." She smiled nostalgically, swiping a brush tainted with gloss over my dry lips.

"There!" She squealed, offering me a hot pink hand mirror. I took it from her and look at myself. Much better. I looked brand new. Unknowingly, a smile broke my lined lips.

"Thank you."

"Anytime. I thought it'd cheer you up." I continued to look at the girl in the mirror. Her eyes began watering.

"Alice, I want to go home." I whispered.

"How about you go take a hot shower and then we'll talk about that after." She offered. I nodded, pushing off the covers and swinging my legs over the side of the bed. Alice asked if I needed help getting up, but I quickly declined. I was strong enough to do everything myself. When I walked in the exquisitely decorated bathroom, towels and a pile of clothes were already sitting on the counter. After shutting the door, I looked at myself in the mirror. The make up helped a lot, but I could still see through that to the weak girl who sat lifelessly in Victoria's trap. Walking over to the tub, I closed the drain and let the hot water fill. When it was done, I stripped of my hospital gown and undergarments and quickly got into the tub and let my feet hang over, soon being replaced with my tail. I smiled at the sight, I haven't seen my tail in over a week and a half. I loved that it was still there. My hand swiped over the scales, a shiver was sent down my spine. I let my head rest back in relief as I soaked up the hot water. Occasionally when I got bored, I played with Cleo's power and let small balls of water bloat in the air. I missed using my powers, I was thankful they were still there too. I soon dunked my head under the water and let out a breath, bubbles floating up the top. Oh how I missed being in the water. I had to go home. After washing up and shampooing my hair with some fancy brand I've never heard of, I dried myself off and got dressed. After my clothes were put on, I noticed that they were mine. Whoever had gotten these had gotten them from my drawers. It felt good to be back in my old clothes. Granted I've only been in that hospital gown for the past four days, but I missed being in my soft leggings and comfy long sleeved shirts that smelled like floral fabric softener. Before opening the door to head downstairs, I examined myself in the mirror one last time. My bites were clearing up; a scar would be left in its place. Walking downstairs, I was careful with every step I took. I followed the sound of people talking and walked into the living room. The pack was sitting on the couch, half was sleeping, and the other half was texting. Jacob was the first to notice me and then Sam's head popped up.

"I want to go home." I stated.

"Ari, we can't let you." Sam apologetically admitted.

"Sam, this is one decision I want to make for myself. I want to go home."

"Are you sure?" Carlisle's voice appeared behind me. I nodded.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Better. I swear. I just want to go home so everything goes back to normal. Carlisle nodded, understanding my point of view.

"Fine. But before you leave," he looked to Jacob, "Jacob, I think you should."

"You think he should what?" My brows furrowed and my head started pounding, getting a headache from to much light. Jacob stood up took my hand, intertwining his fingers with mine.

"Where are we going?" I asked. No one answered. Jacob, Carlisle, and Sam led me down a dark corridor and to a door with a lock on it. Carlisle dialed the lock and it opened, pushing the door forward. Jacob squeezed my hand as we carefully walked down the stairs. Carlisle flipped on a switch, letting one dim light bulb switch on. Was this the basement? We turned a corner and in front of me was a metal door. There was a small rectangle cut out of it and metal bars took its place around the height of my head. This was some kind of jail cell. Were they putting me in here? Why? As my heart began racing, I could spot someone with their back towards me curled up in the corner. Then, supernaturally, they ran up at an unimaginable speed and were grasping onto the bars. I gasped, stumbling back into Jacob. Flashes of memories went through my head of when she bit me, abused me.

"What the hell is she doing here?" I thought she was dead. I saw her neck snap.

"I see you're alive." She observed. Her words weren't malicious but they weren't kind either.

"She's deserving the amount of pain she gave you." Sam answered. I looked into Charlotte's eyes, having a flash back of when we were held against our will when Victoria screwed her over.

"No." I shook my head.

"What?" Jacob spat.

"No. Let her go." I decided. Charlotte was shocked, and so was everyone else. I shook my head and turned around, walking away and breaking Jacob's grasp on my hand. I walked back up the stairs and into the living room, hearing the patters of eager footsteps behind me. The rest of the pack was awake now. Paul was lying half on-half off the couch.

"Ari! Hey! You're out!" Jared smiled.

"We're going home." I announced blankly.

"What?" They asked simultaneously.

"Ariana, did these medicines go to your head or something? What's wrong with you?" Sam rushed in. Jared whispered something to Paul.

"No. I told you to let her go."

"You clearly aren't in any shape to make decisions today." Jacob shook his head.

"Wait, let who go? Charlotte?" Quil wondered. Rosalie walked in with Emmett by her side and Alice hopped down the stairs. Carlisle walked in with Charlotte, his hands holding her with a strong grip.

"Why are you letting me go? After all I did for you." Her voice was shaking.

"Because I saw some good in you while we were there." She didn't deserve to die. After the torture I went through, I wouldn't want anyone to go through that. Not even Charlotte, who wasn't exactly innocent.

"Th-thank you." Her lips quivered.

"Now get the hell out of here. I never, ever, want to see your face again." Charlotte's eyes fell, knowing that my niceness wouldn't last forever.

"Okay, I understand." She pursed her red lips.

"And if you so much as lay one hand on any of my friends, whether it be the girls, or Zane, or Lewis, I will send them," I pointed to the Cullen's and then to Sam and the pack, "and them to find you and personally rip your throat out for me." I harshly said with a straight face.

"Message delivered." She stated and in a flash, she was gone. Charlotte was out of my life, forever. As I dwelled in the silence, Jacob walked over to me and engulfed me in a hug. I closed my eyes as I buried my face in his shirt. A tear slipped down my cheek and soaked into the black fabric. As I closed my eyes, memories sparked in my vision. I had to open my eyes, my heart racing to fast. This was going to be one long road to recovery. How I was going to get out of this without therapy was beyond my knowing. But I'd pull through; at least, I hope I could. Somehow I knew I wasn't going home today, as much as I wanted to. Carlisle knew how sick I felt still, he could see through my charade.


	37. What You Don't Know Won't Kill You

**A/N: ….*slowly comes out from a corner* …hi guys…so, who hates me? Who completely abandoned this story since I haven't updated in so long? What the hell is wrong with me? Oh my god I'm so sorry, I really am. I can't express how stupid I am. After I got back over the summer I was working on my new teen wolf story like crazy and literally, that's all I was updating on. Please I hope you guys forgive me! I'm trying to update this story more often, I swear I'll do better. Please review, but I'll understand if you don't, it's like punishment :/ Anyways, this story will be done in about 5 or more chapters from now. Crazy, isn't it? But I'm pretty sure I'm gonna have a sequal, because you guys are gonna freak at the ending of this :] Well, if you still stuck with me over all these months lol **

_Chapter Thirty-Seven:_

_What You Don't Know Won't Kill You_

_Chapter Song: Over My Head (Cable Cars) by: The Fray_

There was a soft knocking on my door and then it slowly creaked open. Though I was turned to the opposite side, wrapped in my warm and comfortable blanket staring at the wall, I could sense who it was by the way they came in.

"Morning, sweetheart." Emily's syrupy voice greeted. Morning? More like afternoon, it was almost two thirty.

"Morning." I unemotionally replied.

"School just called, they were wondering when you were going to be back. Should I tell them to give it another week?" I hadn't been in school for I don't know how long. Sam had informed them I had gotten into a car accident and got pretty wrecked, Doctor Cullen being a witness. Although the idea of a daily Sex and The City marathon over some Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream sounded very appealing since I've been doing it for the past few weeks, I hadn't seen or talked to any my friends. And truth be told, I kind of missed their bitching.

"No," I sighed, "tomorrow."

"Really? Are—are you sure?" I rolled over, the covers entangling with me.

"I don't remember the last time I was in school. I think it's about time."

"If you're sure honey." There was a pause of silence.

"Is Jake here yet?"

"He was. He came up here and you were sleeping, him and Sam just left for the Cullens."

"Is there something going on?" I asked, kicking off my covers and swinging my legs over the bed. A tingling sensation sparked from my feet to my knees.

"No, not at all," Emily watched me get up from the bed and begin taking some clothes out from my drawer, "where are you going?"

"For a swim."

"Are you sure about that?"

"I've never been so sure of something in my life." I quickly grabbed a long sleeved shirt and a pair of black leggings and headed to the bathroom to change. In record time, I shredded my clothes—only to replace them with my fresh ones—and headed out of the house, walking at a comfortable pace to the beach. A sense of comfort washed over me as I walked. There was no more worrying about vampires trying to kill me—Victoria was dead, Charlotte was never coming back, and the Cullen's were on our side. Everything was right with the world once again. Well, almost. Jacob and Sam continued to be overly protective. This was my first time out of the house in God knows how many weeks. That afternoon I left the Cullen's and came home, I had laid in bed and sulked in my room for days on end. I had fallen into this deep depression that I couldn't seem to shake. I wasn't allowed to swim since my wounds weren't completely healed up, and Sam was so paranoid about me leaving his sight he watched me like a hawk. It got so annoying Emily and I had to force him out of the house. I'd sit in that house everyday, eating ice cream and watching television with Jacob by my side. Of course, that wasn't something to complain about, but it got boring after the seventh time, so I usually would fall asleep in Jacob's arms. Sure it was romantic, but it wasn't fun. Jacob considered me to be a china doll, he was treating me so fragile that he'd barely kiss me. Every time our lips touched, he wasn't passionate. He was afraid of breaking me. Now me, being all healed up and slightly less depressed, was sick and tired of the overdose of perfection. My converses stepped on the damp, murky sand. The water was a dark blue, highlighted by white caps. A month ago this sight wouldn't faze me as I've seen the most beautiful beaches in the world in Australia, but being out of commission for the past few weeks has changed my perspective. I never knew how much I could miss something like this. A joyful smile lifted up my lips as I watched the waves crash to shore. _Smiling_, I missed that too. I hadn't done it in weeks. I quickly jogged towards the ocean. First, I felt the salty water seep through the canvas of my shoes. Then the water hit my ankles and so on. Finally, when it was deep enough, I dove in and submerged myself. Cold waves wrapped around me as my body shimmered blue and my legs morphed into a beautiful golden tail. Oh how I've missed it. There was no way to describe how being back in the ocean felt. It was like a little kid being out with a broken leg for the whole season of soccer and finally being back in the game, or finally seeing someone you love after years of being split apart. It was this rush of love that overwhelmed me as I looked at my tail. Everything that was broken had been fixed, I finally felt myself again. My head broke the surface, a smile still played on my lips. As my eyes blinked, clearing the salt water from them, I could see a figure standing on the beach. His tan complexion looked paler next to his black shirt and cut offs. He had a smile on his face. And the he, was Jacob. I smiled back to him and he trotted towards the ocean and finally jumped in. He dove under and so did I, I met him half way. Under the cold water, I cupped one of his cheeks with my hand and kissed him passionately. Maybe he got the point I wasn't so broken anymore. Ten seconds later our heads popped above the surface.

"Aren't you supposed to be in bed? Resting?"

"Aren't you supposed to be at the Cullens?"

"Em told me you were coming here. And why exactly would you be here? I don't want you hurting yourself."

"Jacob," I grabbed his face, "I promise you. I'm fine. This is _exactly_ what I needed."

"Please be careful."

"Stop acting like Sam," I rolled my eyes dramatically.

"I'm just looking out for you." He sternly replied.

"And I love that you are, really, but right now, surprisingly, I'm okay." When I smiled, Jacob's face brightened up. He was happy to see me happy for the first time in weeks. Maybe it had to do with me being his imprint.

"So? What are you waiting for? Go swim, you deserve it." He urged. I found his hand under the murky water and we both dove down together. I had let go of Jacob soon enough and began swimming on my own. I flipped around, swam backwards, and did everything I could as my body screamed out in joy. For once, everything seemed okay.

* * *

The next day I stuck to my word and got up for school. I had been up previous to my alarm, as I had awoke from a nightmare of red eyes staring at me. It was the nightly routine. The nightmare occurred every night at around the same time, and I'd never fall back to sleep.

"She's gone." I whispered in relief to myself. I sat, staring at the ceiling for most of the morning, but eventually I got ready. After a long bath, I pulled on a red long sleeved V-neck, black yoga pants, and a pair of grey cable knit Uggs. Sitting at the table munching on a bowl of Reese's Puffs and milk, Sam studied every action I made. It was making me uncomfortable. I looked down to my cereal, pushing the deliciously flavored puffs around the brown colored milk. From the corner of my eye, I could see Sam staring at me…still.

"Sam, take a picture, it'll last longer." I told him.

"You shouldn't be going to school."

"I kind of have to, it's a law."

"No, it's to early."

"You sound like a mom before she drops off her kid at pre-school." Emily got a kick out of that.

"Sam, if she says she's ready, trust her." Sam reluctantly agreed. Ten minutes later, Jacob had picked me up in his old beat up pick up. He was proud of me for going to school, for trying my hardest. No one got that I was perfectly okay now. I decided not to tell anyone, even Jacob, about the nightmares. He'd get to worried, and I knew deep in my mind that they'd eventually go away. Besides, when I awoke I was safe in my bed—neither Victoria nor Charlotte's devious, blazing blood red eyes met mine when I opened my eyes. I was always greeted to a dark room. So, keeping this one thing from Jacob didn't seem to bad.

"Call me when you're out of school. I'll pick you up." Jacob told me.

"Yea—shoot. I would if I had a phone." I groaned. Charlotte had thrown it to the ground and it shattered when she had taken me.

"Isn't it your lucky day then?" he smiled, opening the center consul and handing me a white iPhone box wrapped in a red ribbon. "It's all set up. Same number and everything." I smiled widely as I unwrapped the ribbon and took off the top. A shiny new iPhone waited for me.

"Jake, thank you so much."

"Hey, I needed to get ahold of you someway." I grinned and leaned over until our lips met. After however many seconds, we broke apart.

"I will _now_ call you later." I got out of the car and slung my bag over my shoulder. The school day awaited me.

* * *

The shrill last bell of the day echoed through the school. Thank God, I mentally chanted to myself. The day had been exhausting. In those few weeks I was gone I forgot what school was actually like—how boring the classes were, how dull the teachers lectures were, and how what my friends believed to be drama was all so minute. Seeing Angela, Jessica, Mike, and Eric was nice. They were concerned about me after they heard about my 'car accident' and they tried calling, except I had told them my phone got crushed in the accident.

"My dads here, I'll call you later. Okay, Ari?" Jessica told me as we walked out of the school together. She tightly hugged me and demanded me to call her if I needed anything. I had agreed and watched her run off to her dad's car. Tons of people were walking out of the school, laughing and enjoying the usually overcast day. My phone, planted in the palm of my hand, began buzzing. I lifted it up to eye level and looked at the screen, and unknown number calling. As much as my mind was trying to decline the call, my fingers pressed the green answer button. I had stopped walking.

"Hello?" I answered, speaking above the loudness around me.

"Good afternoon, sweetheart." The voice greeted. My heart sped up as soon as I recognized it.

"Mom?" My eyes widened.

"Has it really been that long that you don't recognize my voice?"

"No-no," I stuttered, "it's just, I didn't expect you calling for a while."

"I know. But I've got to talk to you, do you have a minute?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Okay, I don't know how to tell you this, but...wow this is hard." She laughed at the other end. Was she pregnant? What if she got remarried? Oh my God, what did she do?

"Mom, spit it out!"

"I've been transferred back to Australia!" She announced. Time stopped at that second, at least for me it did. I didn't feel any heartbeat or hear a thought in my head. I didn't even hear anything around me, all the loud noises of obnoxious laughter and sick students coughing stopped. They were all moving at a slow speed and so was I. Usually, hearing this would be a good thing. I was supposed to be ecstatic, jumping around in joy.

"Honey? Did you hear me? I don't think we're getting a great connection, I said we're—" Everything sped up again.

"I heard you." I blankly stated.

"Aren't you excited? We're moving back!" She squealed.

"We're?"

"Of course we're! This is what you wanted! I convinced my boss to give me a job over there, it's great. Same pay and everything.

"We're?" I repeated, going into some type of shock.

"Are you already calling the girls? They're going to freak out."

"Mom, I don't think you understand." As much as I wanted to go to Australia, I couldn't leave everyone here. I couldn't leave Sam, or Emily, and most importantly Jacob.

"Not understanding what? This is going to be great, I finish—"

"I'm not going." I blurted out.

"You're what? But Ariana, you said you wanted to go back to the girls and your real home."

"I did, I do, but Forks has become my home too. I can't just leave Sam."

"He'll understand! Sweetie, he'll understand. Are you sure there isn't other people you don't want to leave? How about you give your decision some time. I don't finish up this job for another two or three weeks, I've got to look at the calendar."

"Okay." My voice cracked.

"I'll call you soon, Ariana. Love you, baby." She hung up. I stood there with a shocked expression on my face as my hand slid down to my side and stared at the blank screen. Australia, she wanted to move back _now_. Why couldn't she have done this months and months ago, when I first wanted to move back? A loud honk caught my attention and my head jerked up. Jacob's truck was sitting on the curb, his eyes were on me with a confused smile on his face. I rushed towards him and got myself in the car.

"You okay? Who was on the phone?"

"My mom." I didn't even think about lying about who it was until now.

"Really? What's going on, you look sick."

"Nothing, I'm fine. She was just checking in." I lied. Okay, maybe keeping another thing from Jacob wouldn't kill him.


	38. Calm Before The Storm

**A/N: Wow, so sorry about the huge wait. I had so many exams and testings and stuff this week and I lost power for a week and lost some of this chapter and wow school kills me -_- Please review and the next one should be up soon!**

_Chapter Thirty-Eight_

_Calm Before The Storm_

_Chapter Song: Wipe Your Eyes by Maroon 5_

"Ariana? Ariana!" Jacob said louder, interrupting out what I thought was a close to silent car ride.

"Huh?" I pulled my attention from looking out the window.

"Did you hear anything I just said?" He laughed.

"Yea—no. I'm sorry."

"You've been awfully quiet the past few days, you know."

"Sorry. It's just, there's been a lot of stuff going on at school." I lied.

"Like?" Jacob wondered.

"Work. Stresses me out." Lie. It's been a week since I received the disastrous phone call from my mother, saying it was time to go back to Australia. I kept it a secret from everyone, my decision still lingering in my mind. But every time I kept thinking that my answer would lean towards a 'maybe' or even close to a 'yes', it'd go right back to a big no. My answer would be changed every time I thought of Sam, or the pack, Emily, and most importantly Jacob. I couldn't leave them. They were my new family. Unaware to my attention, my heart began racing.

"Ariana, what's wrong?" Jacob could hear my heart quicken.

"Huh? Nothing, just nervous for my science test." Okay, that was half a lie. I did have a science test, a hard one at that, but I wasn't nervous all because of that.

"Are you sure? If there's something going on, tell me."

"There isn't, Jake. I swear." I put on a fake smile. He seemed to believe it. "Could you possibly drive faster? I'd like to get there before first period ends." I laughed.

"I'm going the speed limit, calm down." Jacob joked. I was late for school this morning due to the fact I woke up late and was cramming the last bits for my test. Okay, maybe that wasn't all of it, maybe Jacob and I's quick morning make out session lasted a little longer than expected. Fine. A _lot_ longer.

"Happy? Here we are." Jacob pulled his truck into the school.

"Thanks for the ride, Jake." I clicked the home button on my phone and looked at the time. "Oh God, I'm so late." I shuffled to get the backpack near my feet when a loud rumble of thunder sounded. As I straightened myself back up, I watched drops of water plummet onto the windshield. It went from softly landing against the glass to pounding against the windows.

"And now I just got later." I sighed, hitting my head against the back of the chair.

After an hour and a half of sitting in Jacob's car parked in the school lot, we came to the conclusion that the rain wasn't going to let up. I finally didn't care enough to go to school, being that I was beyond pissed off I missed my test, so Jacob drove us home. Sure I was less than thrilled it was another boring day of school, but I wanted to get my life back in order. I needed a sense of normalcy. As Jacob pulled into my driveway the rain came down in sheets in front of us.

"How are you supposed to get into the house without popping out a tail?" Jacob wondered, taking the keys out of the ignition after shifting the car into park.

"Run." I simply said, a soft sigh escaping through my lips.

"Please be careful." Jacob pleaded, putting a warm hand on mine. I looked down to it and relished in the moment, a small smile lifting my lips, but not much. I looked back up at Jacob.

"You know I love you, right?" I cocked my head, bringing my free hand up to caress Jacob's cheek. The thought of me leaving him tugged roughly at my heart.

"Yes." My fingers trailed down his cheek to his jaw line and I leaned into kiss him. With every in-sync move our lips made, my heart tightened and fluttered at the same time.

"What was that for?" Jacob asked after we pulled away, realizing we had to come up for air eventually.

"You know what that was for."

"Then, love you too." Jacob replied. I smiled, unbuckling my seatbelt and taking a deep, preparing breath for the run I was about to do.

"See you inside." I pecked Jacob's lips once more and opened the door, swinging my legs over the side and almost immediately feeling the rain soak through my jeans.

_One. _

_Two. _

_Three. _

From Jacob's car, I made a run for it and dashed to the front door. The rain was coming down in sheets, and it was almost impossible to see in front of me.

_Four. _

_Five._ My hair was sticking to my face and the cold water was like icicles on my skin

_Six. _

_Seven. _

_Eight. _

I reached the front door and yanked it open with such a force I never thought I possessed. My wide eyes fell on Emily, carrying a laundry basket through the living room. My heart jumped as she scared me, what was she doing here?

_Nine. _

_Ten. _

I saw her frightened expression for about one second before my legs began tingling and my body lost its sense of balance. My body disappeared into water for a split second and I fell to the ground with a loud thump. My bare stomach hit the wood floor and stung. I propped myself up on my elbows and blew a wet piece of hair out of my face.

"Hey, Em." I warily smiled.

"Em? Is everything alr—" Sam walked into the room. His eyes looked from Emily to me, and they stayed on me for a while with raised brows. Behind me, the front door quickly opened and closed and Jacob came up right behind me, looking down to my tail.

"I'm never going to get used to that." Emily sighed with a quiet chuckle, she walked away into the next room.

"Me too." Sam agreed. I sighed, that same piece of wet hair falling back in my face.

"Aren't you supposed to be at school?" He asked.

"Well if you haven't noticed, it's raining."

"Oh really?" Sam suppressed a laugh."

"Yes, really. There's a monsoon outside, I don't just like growing a tail for no reason." I turned my head around and reached my arm back, balling my fist tightly to dry myself off. Jacob stepped back as the steam reached him. In no time, I was dry and I had my legs back. Jacob came over to me and helped me up from the floor, of which Sam had no intention on doing.

"Thank you." I brushed my jeans off and looked to Sam.

"What?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest. I rolled my eyes and grabbed Jacob's hand.

"Let's go, Jake."

"Uh, Ari…" He stopped as we were walking. So maybe I was being oblivious due to the fact I had so much on my mind, or maybe it was because I wanted to get out of Sam's sight and move onto the rest of my day with Jacob. Sam stared at me like he was waiting for something to happened. His eyes were staring down to where I held Jacobs hand. Suddenly, that same tingling sensation came over me and I stopped walking. My eyes widened as I looked down and realized Jacob's hand had been wet.

"Oh, come on!" I yelled in frustration. With that, my legs disappeared and a tail was in its place.

And I was on the floor…again.

"This isn't funny." Sam found this hilarious, but me? Not so much.

"You're right, it's hilarious." He laughed and walked into the kitchen. That was good old Sam for you, my brother.

The next day I found myself sitting in the biology lab late after school, tapping my pen against the black table surface. Was the answer C? Or maybe it was A—no there was no way I've answered A way to many times in a row. I had been sitting in the room for the past forty minutes making failing attempts at completing this test I had missed yesterday due to the rain. I didn't know half these answers, and truthfully, I didn't really care enough to know them. My mind was in a different place—another world, another country. I shook my head, shaking the thoughts away. Stop, you need to focus, I scolded myself.

Question Thirteen- What is not one of the phases of mitosis?

I thought about the question for a second before my mind began to wander again, so I had to reread.

_Alright. _Question Thirteen-Who's going to be the most heartbroken when you leave?

Sam

Emily

Jacob

You

My heart began racing as I reread the question over and over. I blinked a few times and before I knew it, question thirteen was back to its regular science subject. My heart calmed down when I skimmed all the questions, all of them seeming normal. Calm down, Ariana, it's the upcoming full moon. But, a full moon's never affected me like that. It was just the stress doing it. It had to be.

"Ariana." My name echoed through the room though I didn't hear it. The only reply to it was the sound of my pencil writing against the paper.

"Ariana!" My name loudly entered my mind. My head snapped up to see the teacher standing up at his desk, looking at me with his brows raised. "Times up." he put down the stack of papers in his hand. I looked down to my half empty test and sighed loudly, my head hanging low.

I shamefully handed in my test and slung my backpack over my shoulder and walked out of the class. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and looked at the time. It was a quarter past five, no wonder the halls were so empty. A warning sign of low battery flashed across my screen before my phone went black. I tapped my screen multiple times. It was dead. Damn it. How was I supposed to tell Jacob to pick me up now? As I walked through the suspiciously empty hallways I began hearing a loud sound pounding against the roof. Far down the hallway straight ahead, I could see a mist of grey outside. It was so dark it almost looked like it was—

My pace picked up and I began running towards the door. The soles of my boots slammed against the linoleum as I ran. I stopped quick in my tracks as I reached the door, not needing to go any further. The rain came down in sheets, making it hard to see far out. My heart sank into my stomach as I watched the rain pound into the pavement I was supposed to be standing on. Subconsciously I reached for my phone and tried to use it, then remembered about the lack of battery. I cursed myself out for using it too much last night. I heartbrokenly walked back to where I had been standing before and slid off my bag, letting it crash to the floor. My legs, not being able to hold me up any longer, felt numb. I leaned my body against the wall of lockers and slid down them, landing on the cold floor. Tears welled in my eyes, how long was I going to have to stay here now?

I stayed in that same position for hours. At least that's what it felt like. It had to be, the sun had set and the harsh fluorescents had flickered on. Occasionally a teacher or two would come up to me asking what I was still doing here and I'd lie saying I was waiting for my brother to pick me up, his work was keeping him busy. As they told me to go outside, they realized the continuous cold rain outside. My arms wrapped around my legs and my face was pressed to my knees. My eyes were squeezed shut as I contained the burning sensation of tears behind my lids. Through the loud patters of rain against the building, I could hear the clicks of high heels against the floor. Great, it was yet another teacher to explain why I'm still here at God knows what hour it is. The heels stopped close to me and after a second of silence, I lifted my head to see the figure.

"Alice?" My voice cracked, my eyes scanning the perfectly dressed vampire.

"Oh, Ariana." She cooed, a sympathetic look plastered across her beautiful face. "What—what are you doing here?"

"I saw you," she gave me that same sympathetic look again.

"You saw me?"

"Yes."

"And you came?"

"Of course." She nicely replied. I genuinely smiled.

"Thank you." I whispered.

"it was either this or giving Rosalie an unneeded make over. I think she owe's you one." I quietly chuckled and looked down to the floor.

"Did you by any chance call Jacob? Or Sam?"

"I tried, they didn't answer. The lines might be down because of the storm, you never know with Forks crappy service. But I'm glad I came in time, I thought you would have left."

"What do you mean?" I looked up to her, and followed her moves as she sat down on the floor with me.

"I mean, I not only saw you sitting here but I had a vision of you walking home after it let up and it started again, and—"

"tail in the middle of the street. Wow, Alice, you just saved me big time."

"I know. Hey, I was bored of being home anyways. A little outing is just what I needed." I kindly smiled towards the vampire and we sat in silence for a few more minutes, listening to the rain.

"I know about Australia." She admitted.

"Huh?"

"Australia, I know about the phone call with your mom. Does Jacob know yet? Did you make your decision?"

"Whoa, whoa Alice, hold up. One question at a time. How do you know about that?"

"Being able to see the future can come in handy sometimes." She said quieter in case of any nearby listeners.

"Is there anything you don't see?" I rhetorically asked and paused for a moment. A loud sigh escaped through my mouth. "and no, I have not made my decision yet. I mean, yes I have, but…" I chomped down on my lip. "Jacob doesn't know."

"You didn't tell him?"

"I haven't told anyone. I already know my decision because every time I think of going back, I think of Jacob. And Sam, the rest of the pack. And that always stops me. How can it not? They're my family."

"I get that, completely. Family means everything."

"It's so frustrating," I groaned, "because I have another family too. My best friends back home and my mom, how can I leave them?"

"You did, you have for months now."

"Exactly. Sure, I miss them but I'd miss Jake and everyone more than anything. I'd even miss you, Alice." I giggled.

"Well if it means anything, I'd miss you too. A lot!"

"You're the closest thing I had to a girl friend I had from the second I got here."

"We bonded a lot over the past few weeks, that helped greatly."

"Alice, did you see my decision? I want to make things easier on myself and see how this turns out. I just want to know already, I'm tired out the confusion." Alice looked over to me, our eyes connected, and she said the answer I was least hoping for.

"No, I didn't."

But I knew she was lying.


	39. Decisions, Decisions

**A/N: hi guys! Long time, no update. I know. And im sorry. Really sorry. Im on break though and I got sick for the last two weeks of school so I missed all that and I had to much make up work! I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a very happy Hannukah! And happy new year! Can you believe that this years over? Its hard to believe, quite scary actually. Please review this chapter, it'll inspire me to write the next which is gonna be hard. **

_Chapter Thirty-Nine_

_Decisions, Decisions_

_Chapter Song: Addicted by Greg Laswell / Morgan Page_

The rain cleared up not long after that. Alice had led me out of the school and led me to her car in the front lot. I climbed into the slick, black Mercedes and Alice did the same on the driver's side. She pulled her seat belt over her and drove me home at a terrifying speed. When she stopped outside Sam's house, the grip I had on the Italian leather of the seat lessened.

"Better hurry up, it's gonna start again soon." She didn't bother shifting the car into park; she kept her heel cladded foot on the break. I unbuckled my seat belt.

"Thanks again Alice." I leaned over and wrapped my arms around her petite frame, afraid that if I squeezed her to tight I'd break her. But oh wait, she was a vampire. She would break me like a stick.

"You don't need to thank me. I'd do anything for a friend if they were in trouble, even if that meant sitting in a school hallway for a couple hours."

"Was it that torturous?" I laughed.

"It was fun. We need to hang out more often." She suggested. I looked at her with a hopeful smile but something inside me felt like it was dying. I wouldn't get that chance if I wasn't to return to Forks after I made my decision.

"Yeah," I sighed, "we do." I grabbed my backpack off the floor and placed it on my lap. "I'll see you tomorrow Alice!" After opening the door, I slung my backpack over my shoulder and jogged to the front door.

"Bye!" She called after rolling down the window. Once I opened the door to the house, I could hear her speed off down the street. I tossed my backpack down next to the door.

"Hey, I'm ho—oh." I was tackled into a hug by multiple overheated and muscular bodies.

"What the hell!" My cry came out in jumbled mumbles since I was being suffocated from the hug I was getting.

"You're alive!" Quil yelled in joy.

"Yes I'm alive now will you all get the hell off of me!" They did.

"We've been looking for you everywhere!" Jacob said.

"Well, sorry I was—wait you were outside? Are you—" I didn't have to finish my sentence because my body felt the answer to it. A blue shimmer washed over me and my loveable, golden, scaly tail replaced my legs. I fell to the ground with a smack and groaned, looking up at the boys.

"Does the words 'mermaid when touch water' mean anything to you?" All their lips formed a tight line and they mumbled a few sorry's. I rolled my eyes, and then silently chuckled not being able to help it. I dried myself off and got my legs back in no time, jumping up to my feet.

"And this time, no one touch me till your dry." I begged with a smile. As I pushed past them, a smile accompanied another eye roll. My boys. I loved my boys. I led myself into the kitchen and spotted coffee leftover in the pot on the counter.

"So where were you exactly?" Jacob wandered into the kitchen as I reached for a mug and poured some in my glass. Knowing Sam he probably just made a brew and drank most of the drink himself. I lifted the mug up to my lips and took a sip. Ugh, god no. This was from earlier and it was room temperature. Gross. Gag. I balled my hand and waited until it was steaming hot.

"I got stuck at the school, it started pouring after my test."

"Why didn't you call?"

"Phone died, Alice said she tried, but there was no service."

"Alice? Is that why you smell like the leeches?"

"Jake, don't call them that. She had a vision I was walking home and it started raining again. She saved me. And she kept me company while I was alone at school for I don't even know how many hours."

"Sounds like someone's B-F-F's with the pixie." Jared commented.

"She's the closest thing I've got to a girl friend here, come on you can't blame me."

"We don't, we don't." Embry defended.

"Okay, maybe we do." Paul admitted.

"But we're not going to tell you who to and not be friends with." Quil admitted next.

"I mean we could…" Paul smirked. I rolled my eyes. Idiots.

"Okay well you have fun trying to do that." I put my coffee cup down and walked past the boys, heading to my room.

"Where are you going?"

"Sleep. Being stuck at school for that many hours is exhausting." I smirked and disappeared into the hallway and up the stairs, finding refuge in my room. I bounced down on my bed and stripped of my jacket, heavily sighing from how exhausted I was. Jacob walked into my room, typing something on his phone. Suddenly, my attention was focused on the sound of something pounding against my window. I got myself up and walked over to the window, pushing the curtains aside. Even though it was as dark as ever outside, I could see sheets of rain battering against the glass and the silhouette of trees swaying. A low rumble of thunder followed a flash of lighting. A light smile traced my lips.

"Thanks Alice

walked over and pushed the curtains aside, seeing sheets of rain push against the glass. A flash of lighting was followed by a low rumble of thunder.

"Thanks Alice." I whispered.

"Huh?" Jacob looked up from his phone.

"You're welcome, Ariana." Alice Cullen smiled in the comfort of her own home. Beside her, Jackson looked at her funny, but she just chuckled it off, flipping to the next page of her fashion magazine.

* * *

_Beep. Beep. Beep!_ My alarm clock blared into the silence and comfort of my room.

"Shut up!" I inaudibly groaned into my pillow. I was lying on my stomach, head dug into the softness of my pillow. I blindly let my hand try to find the alarm, which didn't work out to well. I began smacking the air until I found it. I happened to hit my night table twenty times in the process. Smack, I hit the table again but this time the alarm stopped. That's what I thought!

"Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Jacob laughed. I lifted my head up and saw him standing over me. "Come on, time to get up." Then I realized how stupid I probably looked. I groaned and fell back into my pillow.

"_Nooo_. To early."

"Schools not gonna wait for you."

"Good, it can go." He rolled his eyes at my stubbornness. He wrapped his arms around me and picked me up, throwing me over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" I hit his back.

"The right thing." He carried me down stairs where Emily was cooking breakfast. He finally let me go and placed me in a seat.

"Was that so hard?"

"Yes." My eyes narrowed at him. "Coffee. Where's the coffee?" I moaned, getting up and going on a search for caffeine.

"You've been exhausted this whole week, what's going on?" Asked Emily as she flipped over an egg.

"I haven't been sleeping as well as I'd like." That was an understatement. I was barely sleeping at all. My only thoughts were consumed by my unknown decision that was still a secret to everyone but Alice Cullen. I wanted to scream out, shout that I wanted to know my decision! I couldn't do this anymore!

"Ariana?" Emily questionably asked.

"Yeah?"

"Why? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, just stressed." My excuse for the past week or so. "I get restless like that."

"If you say so." Jacob shrugged. I poured myself a cup of coffee and tipped in some creamer, drinking the caffeinated beverage to wake myself up for my long, torturous day at school.

"Oh by the way, you're mother called last night." Emily mentioned. I chocked on the coffee. Emily and Jacob looked to me with wide eyes, suspicious of how I was acting.

"What'd she say?" I asked when I stopped coughing.

"Oh I didn't speak with her, she left a message for you to call her. She sounded fairly happy."

"Oh," I let out a relieving breath, "okay."

"You seem surprised. I thought you talked to her last week?"

"I did, I just, we had a fight so I didn't think she'd be calling this quickly." Oh my God, what was I going to do.

"Oh. You should call her back, here." Emily handed me the phone.

"I, I uh, I forgot I've got to make up another test this morning, I better hurry up. I'll call her when I get to school!" I promised, and I dashed upstairs so I didn't have to see the strange, judging looks on their face.

* * *

Jacob had driven me to school this morning, and no doubt he had asked me nine times if I was alright. God I hated lying. Okay, not so much lying in general but lying to him. With one last kiss, I shut the door to his truck and headed into the school. Science was awaiting me and, perfect, we had a lab to do.

"Hey Ari!" Alice called, shutting her locker door. As usual, she looked perfect, dressed in a deep blue satin tank top, skinny jeans that hugged her legs in the right ways, black suede heels, and a knotted silver necklace. I seriously wish I had her closet.

"Okay, I'm stealing everything in your closet one day." I laughed, admiring her outfit.

"Fine with me! We should go shopping together."

"Please, I'm in desperate need of new clothes." We walked into science together and took our seats. Beakers filled with water sat in front of us, with test tubes filled with certain colorful chemicals unknown to my eye. Our teacher began a lecture that I tuned out halfway and then he assigned our partners.

"Wait, assigned?" I whispered.

"Yeah." Alice sadly said, wanting to be my partner.

"Cullen and Michelson. You two over there." He pointed from my vampire friend to a blonde girl in front of us, then to a table in the back. Names were rolled off and people began shuffling their items and moving around.

"Newton! You're with Ariana." He pointed to a table near the door. Mike smiled widely while I could barely manage to grin. I moved to meet Mike at our assigned table and we began our work.

"You hold this and I'll pour the water in, okay?" He handed me a small beaker of light blue fluid. Mikes hand was shaking, but I kept mine perfectly still.

"So how are you likin' the rain, Australia?"

"It's rain." I commented, shrugging.

"Yeah but you guys must not get it over there a lot."

"It's Australia, not Antarctica. But no, not as much as here. And for your information I'm hating it." I pursed my lips.

"Another reason why Forks sucks." He laughed.

"Hey, buddy." A fellow jock came over and patted Mike on the back somewhat forcefully. He jerked forward, the water spilling all over my hand and shirt.

"Mike!" I gasped.

"Shoot, Ariana I'm sorry." Before I could lie and tell him it was okay I darted out of the science room. I had seven seconds and I was no where near a bathroom! I looked both ways and spotted a janitors closet, I opened the door and flung myself in there. The door slammed shut just as I toppled over on the mounds of mops, buckets, and cleaning supplies. Using my powers, I had locked the door. The smell of lemon scented Lysol wafted up my nose and made me want to gag. I looked down to my tail. Phew, that was yet another close call. Thank God they didn't have cameras in here. There was a knock on the door and the handle jiggled.I gasped somewhat loudly. These lousy locks wouldn't hold someone out. They were rusty and old!

"Mike, I'm fine!" I yelled. I couldn't let Mike find out my secret! If Mike found out then the whole school found find out!

"Ariana, it's me!" Alice, it was Alice. "Let me in." I twisted my hand and unlocked the door with my powers. In a flash, Alice came in and shut the door behind her.

"Oh my." She sympathetically looked at me.

"I'm a mess, I know." I sighed.

"Don't worry!" She smiled cheerily, "I covered for you, it's all good! They think you just went to the bathroom to get some towels. Mike tried coming but I stopped him."

"What happens when I come back with a completely dry shirt?"

"I've got that covered too." She smirked her rosy lips. She turned around and walked out.

"Wait, Alice!" I called but she left. "What the hell was that?" I whispered to myself. Where'd she go? As I dried myself off, steam rose above me and Alice walked back into the janitors closet with a piece of fabric in her hands. My body changed back to normal and I looked at her oddly. A pale pink chiffon shift with black lining was held in her grasps.

"See, all covered." She handed it to me. She went back into the hallway, allowing me to change. I stripped of my dry shirt and put on Alice's. I've never had such expensive fabric touch my skin. I guess this was how it felt to live the good, rich life. I walked out of the closet like nothing had happened and brushed off my jeans.

"And once again, you've saved me from these situations. I basically owe you my life now."

"I need a shopping buddy. Come with me and we're even." She chuckled.

* * *

"_Here, hold this and I'll pour it." Mike Newton had a beaker full of water in his hands. I held a beaker in mine as he poured it. A jock came up from behind Mike and slapped him on the back, the water pouring all over me._

_"Mike!" I shrieked. I ran around the desk to get out of the room but I felt myself changing eight seconds to early. Then I was on the floor, tail and all. There were flashes, tons of flashes coming from cameras, phones, and tablet computers. "Alice? Alice where are you? Alice help." I cried. She was no where to be found._

_"Look! A mermaid!" A girl shouted._

_"Take a picture! Take a picture!" Some guy shouted._

_"The academy is going to regret not taking me now! I found the worlds first mermaid!" The teacher chanted. I screamed at the top of my lungs and before I could move, everything faded to white._

Again_. _

The morning didn't greet me at its finest yet again. That same dream had been replaying in my mind for the past two days every time I fell asleep. I couldn't escape it how close I was to my science class finding out. How if Alice wasn't there, I'd probably be in a science lab right now being dissected. There were so many close calls this past week and a half it was enough for me to pack my bags and get on a plane now. But I wasn't, I was still…thinking. The day awaiting me outside my window was cloudy and overcast, as usual, but there was no rain predicted for the day. Finally. I exchanged my pajamas—Jacob's oversized shirt and a pair of spandex shorts—for an oversized cream cable knit sweater, skinny jeans, and combat boots. Silently, I crept my way downstairs. Surprisingly I found Jacob fast asleep on the sofa and the house was quiet enough for me to know Sam and Emily were doing the same. I smiled at the sight of an asleep Jacob and slithered my way out the door after stuffing my phone into my back pocket. I jogged all the way down to the beach, the cool wind smacking at my cheeks. I had decided at two fifty three this morning that I was in dire need of a swim. It had been way to long since my last bout in the water. My tail was getting stiff from the lack of time I'd been spending with it. I reached the beach and smiled at the sight of the grey water and damp sand. I'd grown used to it. Even the cold, it was a new normal to me now. I casually walked down to the shoreline and once I did my usual safety routine, I darted straight into the waves.

I stayed out longer and went out farther than usual. I got so lost in my own deep thoughts that I just wandered out forever. And it was wroth it, I never thought about something and debated it with myself so long in my life. Now, sitting on the dry part of the sand, I looked out onto the scene of the waves crashing against the shore in front of me. My fingers played with the soft fabric of my sweater. Absentmindedly my fingers went from my sweater to my pocket and pulled out my phone. I let it rest in my hand a moment before I dared to dial anyone.

_Don't worry Ariana, everything will be okay_, I chanted to myself repeatedly. Sitting here made me realize there was no turning back. My fingers shakily touched the screen and dialed in my mom's number. After three rings I heard the phone pick up.

"Hi Mom. Sorry I haven't called, it's—it's been a stressful week. But I made my decision." I took in a sharp breath. "I'll start packing this week."


	40. When Secrets Kill

**A/N: Hard chapter to right. Next ones gonna be even harder D: Review please!**

_Chapter Forty:_

_When Secrets Kill_

_Chapter Song: Breathe Me by Sia / You Could Be Happy by Snow Patrol_

I lied to my mom when I told her I'd start packing this week. I couldn't bare the thought of touching any of my belongings and placing them in boxes, which I had none of. I couldn't even bare the thought of telling everybody of my departing. It was still a secret that would kept locked inside me till the very last moment possible. While sitting on my bed, a hundred million thoughts running through my head, pictures mound in frames around my room were staring daggers at me. A smiling portrait of the girls and I was looking directly into my soul at one end of my room, it was screaming 'can't wait to have you back'. At the other end, there was a photo of Jacob and I being all loving and romantic with each other. He was smiling in the picture, but when he found out about me leaving, that'd disappear along with our relationship. _Stop staring at me_, I silently yelled at the photos. A squeak emitted from my mattress as I stood up and walked over to the photo of Jacob and I, picking it up in my hands and brushing my fingertips over the two of us.

"You've got to start somewhere." I whispered feeling quite defeated to myself. Taking the photo of us, I started by placing it on my bed. I did the same with the one of the girls and I. There had to be a box somewhere, anywhere in the room. I proceeded to go through my closet and search for a box, a container…something. I threw my closet doors open and kneeled down to the floor. Before I knew it, I found myself throwing clothes and shoes around my room even after finding a box or two in the depths of my closet. I raided my closet, finding books, shoes, and several long sleeved shirts I started piling in the boxes. I even found old journal entries I wrote when I first arrived in Forks, complaining how much I hated being here and how much I hated my life. I took them in my hands and shredded them, rolling them up into crinkly little balls. I sniffled from both the dust clogging up my nose and the tears that refused to fall from my eyes. Grabbing one of the boxes, I plopped it onto my bed, carefully placing the two frames in it after one, long, last look. Packing all this stuff up was pulling at my heart. Pulling? No, pulling was the wrong word. More like taking my heart and yanking it out of my chest. A sickening feeling sat in my stomach and wouldn't go away.

"Looks like you're up early." Footsteps entered my room; what was Sam doing back so early, I thought he went out?

"If you call two in the afternoon early." I retorted, not realizing exactly what situation I was dragged into now. A gasp hitched in my throat as I realized the voice didn't belong to Sam but none other than Jacob, who had now turned silent. I could feel his eyes examining around the room and burning into my back.

"What's all this?" Jacob curiously asked. My jaw clenched and my head began pounding. I couldn't face him, this wasn't supposed to plan out like this.

"Ariana," Jacob asked more seriously, "what's all this?" His voice rose a little bit. With a big heap of courage and a painful bite of my lip, I turned around to face Jacob with glassy eyes.

"Jacob…" I started but couldn't seem to finish.

"Why the hell are you putting things in boxes? Why does it look like you're…packing? Why the hell are you packing?" He exclaimed, his frustration rising. I took in a sharp breath of air.

"Do you remember, two weeks ago, when my mom called?" Jacob harshly nodded. "And I told you that she was just checking in," I whimpered, pressing my lips together to form a line, "but I lied. She called, to tell me she got transferred back to Australia."

"What?" Jacob sounded like he had the wind knocked out of him. He was breathless.

"Jacob," I started, "I'm going back."

Boom. The bomb was dropped. It had exploded and demolished everything in its path. Heat flushed over my body and my skin felt numb. My fingertips prickled and tingled with very little sensation while the rest of my hands couldn't feel anything except a wave of heat. Why wasn't Jacob saying anything? Why wasn't I saying anything?

"Jacob, please say something." My shaky voice cracked.

"Two weeks? You've known about it for two week and you kept this from me?"

"I couldn't bare to tell you. I love you to much to hurt you this much."

"Who else knows about this?"

"Alice. That's it." My voice was so timid compared to his. I was like a little girl being reprimanded for her actions. I was so vulnerable. And stupid.

"The bloodsucker found out before I did?" He yelled.

"She saw it in her vision! I didn't say a word to her. She saw my answer before I knew it."

"You're leaving?"

"I don't want to, Jake. I really don't."

"Then don't!"

"Do you understand how hard of a decision this was for me? I've never been so conflicted in my life!"

"You can't go." He pleaded. "You can't leave all of us."

"And I can't leave my mom, my friends. They need me."

"We need you! You can't go." Jacob repeated, I noticed his hands shaking. That wasn't good, none of this was good!

"Jacob, I have to. Look at what happened this week. How much longer is it until I get exposed? I can't risk that."

"How could you leave us?" He sounded nothing but betrayed.

"Jake, don't do this." I whispered. Jacobs face scrunched up in utter anger and he stormed out of my room.

"Jake, no, wait!" I yelled, running out of my room and to the stairs. I leaned myself over the banister just as the front door shut.

"Ariana?" Emily called from downstairs. I didn't bother answering her as I ran back into my room and over to the window just to see a furry tail disappear into the woods. I straightened myself up and began pacing my room, hyperventilating into my hands that covered my mouth and nose. This is exactly what I wanted to prevent. Please let this be a dream, please let this be a dream! Or a terrible nightmare. I wanted nothing but to closed my eyes and reopen them to find myself safe and happy in my bed.

"Ariana, what was that about?" Emily came rushing into the room. My tears blurred her petite figure. "Honey, what's all this?"

"Em," I sobbed, "there's something I need to tell you."

"What's," she noticed the boxes, "what's going on? Did you two have a fight?" I nodded. "Tell me what's going on."

"This is my fault." I bawled. And I cried and cried, and finally sunk down on my knees. I pressed my hands to my mouth, trying to catch my racing heart but it was no use. I clutched my stomach in pure agony. This was more painful than being tortured. My heart felt like it was torn out of my chest and ripped apart on the floor in front of me. I fell back onto the floor and pressed my back against my bed, hugging my knees tight. I stopped my sobbing and tried to take hold of myself, but my cries just turned silent. There was an elephant sitting on my chest, specifically on my heart. There was no possible way I could have told Jacob in a worst way. Emily walked back in my room minutes later, cups of steaming cocoa in her hands. She joined me on the floor and handed me a mug. I wrapped my hands around it and pressed the ceramic to my lips, sniffling as the heat hit my nose.

"Now why don't you tell me what's going on." She suggested. The next breath I took in was shaky, and I didn't want to tell her, but I had to eventually.

"I'm leaving." I said in the strongest voice I could muster…which was a whisper.

"You're leaving?" She repeated.

"My mom called two weeks ago, they transferred her back."

"Back? Back to Australia?" I nodded to answer her.

"Ari, that's great!" Well, that certainly wasn't the response I was expecting. I looked up to her, more confused than ever. Great? How was this great for everyone? Even I was kind of upset about it!

"How is it great?"

"Of course we're all going to miss you more than words can say and you've become more like my daughter than anything, but honey, you're supposed to be smiling and excited, not in tears crying."

"I can't help it. This was hands down the hardest decision I've ever made."

"I can only imagine. You don't want to leave your family here but you don't want to leave your family there either."

"I'm still so torn."

"You should be happy." Emily smiled, tucking a lock of brown hair behind my ear.

"So why do I feel like crying so much? Like I'm shattered into a million unfixable little pieces."

"Because you're heartbroken. It happens to the best of us. You're leaving Jacob, but it's for the best. As hard as it may seem now, the moment you land in Australia and see your mom, your friends, it'll all be better." Emily persuaded. My head hung low and I clutched it in my shaking arms.

"So now I understand why you've been so distant the past week. I've felt bad you seemed a little depressed."

"I feel like I'm drowning."

"Says the mermaid." Emily chuckled but became serious beside the slight smile on her lips, "you're depressed, and you're conflicted. It'll all go away with time. Here, why don't I help you pack?" I nodded, squeezing my eyes shut to block away the tears.

"Thank you." I whispered, leaning in to give Emily a hug.

"I'm going to miss you so much, baby." After she said that, all my words were caught in my throat. I just nodded, agreeing with what she said. Emily has been more like a mom than my real mom, and I loved her just as much. This hurt just as much as the first time my mom left on her first job. Actually, maybe it hurt worse.

* * *

After a few hours of packing and remaining with Emily, the front door finally opened and Sam called to his fiancée.

"Emily, I'm back."

"Oh no." I whispered.

"You can do it, don't worry." Emily forced me out of my room and out into the hallway. "Go!" She urged, waving me down the stairs. Sam had to find out sooner or later. But in my mind, later was still the better. Shakily, I walked down the stairs with legs that felt that they could cave at any given moment. My right hand clamped onto the banister so tightly my circulation was being cut off. What if my brother reacted like Jacob? What if he reacted worse? What if he was so ticked off at me, he'd kick me out right now? I mean, how could I betray all of them like this? My hand let go of the banister as Sam turned around and saw me come down the stairs.

"There you are." He commented. My mouth stayed glued shut. I took my last step phone. "What's up?" He looked up and noticed my soft glare. I blinked a few times, staying silent. His thick brows pushed together in wonder.

"I'm leaving." I said.

"Okay, bye." His brows stayed in a tight knit.

"No, Sam, I'm leaving. I'm _leaving_, leaving. As in leaving Forks."

"You're leaving Forks?" He asked me in disbelief.

"I'm leaving Forks. I'm leaving La Push. I'm leaving Washington. I'm leaving the freakin' United States!" I cried and took in another sharp breath that seemed to pierce my aching lungs. "Mom called two weeks ago, she got her old job back. We're going home. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." My voice turned into but a whisper. I expected Sam to storm out of the room as did Jacob, or yell and do something. He did do something…something completely unexpected.

He hugged me.

His muscular arms pulled me in for one of the tightest hugs of my life. I could barely breath, but I liked it.

"Why should you be sorry? This is what you wanted since you got here, I'm happy for you little sis." He pulled away.

"You're really not mad?"

"Why would I be mad?"

"I told Jacob earlier. We had a huge fight and he ran away." Sam stood there silent for a minute, realizing how this was affecting Jacob. His imprint was moving away, and he was feeling the pain before it was even happening. He couldn't even imagine what pain Jacob would be in once I left.

"Call Billy later, see if he's home." I nodded my head and wrapped my arms around Sam, enjoying the moment since our time was now limited.

* * *

Hours passed and I spent most of them staring at the kitchen clock, glaring down the ticking hands as the seconds and minutes passed. It was quarter to ten and I was sitting in the kitchen alone, the lights dim. I picked up the house phone sitting in its cradle on the counter and held down the blue sticky note Sam gave me with the Black home number on it. I punched in the numbers and pressed the phone to my ear. What was I supposed to do if he didn't pick up? Drive over to his house to see if Jacob was there? It was almost ten, what if Billy was asleep?

"Hello?" Okay, maybe he wasn't asleep. He definitely wasn't, I could hear a football game blaring in the background with Charlie Swan rooting for his team.

"Hey, Billy." I began, my voice timid and nervous. "Sorry for calling so late, it's Ariana."

"No problem, kid, what's up?"

"Sorry if this is a bad time, but is Jacob there?"

"He hasn't been home all night. Is he not with Sam? I've been starting to worry I've usually heard from him by now."

"No, we got into a fight earlier and he ran off, I haven't seen him in hours."

"Alright," he sighed, "if I hear anything I'll let you or Sam know." Sam entered the room and watched me curiously.

"Okay. Thank you." I whispered. The phone beeped when I hung up.

"Anything?" Sam asked.

"Nothing, he hasn't been home. He hasn't heard from him."

"I'll go out and look for him." Sam offered.

"It's fine, he hates me right now. He'll show up soon."

"Give him some space, he'll come around eventually."

"I hope." I sighed loudly, resting my head down on the counter.

* * *

The following day, I headed down to the beach to clear my head, if that was even possible. Forks was beginning to warm up, well, for Forks that is. There weren't anymore days where it was so cold I was almost positive I was going to get hypothermia—average temperature was now ranging to about forty five-fifty degrees. Delightful, right?Well, I wouldn't have to worry about that for long. The warm Australia sun was soon in my reach.

It'd been thirty and some odd hours since my fight with Jacob and not a word has been spoken by him via anything. He hadn't called, texted, sent one of the pack after me. Nothing. He disappeared in his wolf form into the woods, gone with no trace. Billy called back this morning, much to my dismay with no good news. I thought he was calling to tell me he found Jacob and he was sitting at home waiting for me, but he only called to ask me if I'd seen him because he never returned home last night, and he was severely worried.

But I came here to get my mind off of Jacob, I had to focus on someone else now. Actually, three someone else's.

Sitting myself down, my boot clad feet dug into the sand. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and began scrolling through pictures of the girls and I. There we were, wide smiles and not a care in the world sitting at the Juice Net sipping away at brain-freezing Blueberry Blitz's. And here was one with Zane, the two of us looking like brother and sister. I missed these days. I missed my friends. And it was time for them to know that I was coming home. Of course I mentioned it to my mom not to say anything to the girls if they called, which, why would they? But this was supposed to be kept secret, a secret from everybody. Sure my original plan of showing up at their house might have been extravagant, but it had been used—unplanned that one time of course. I had to tell them eventually, and eventually was now. My growing cold fingers pressed the numbers on the screen and dialed Emma's number. One ring, two ring, four rings went by until she picked up.  
"Hello?" She picked up.

"Guess who." I replied.

"Ari! Wow We thought you must have died none of us have talked to you in weeks."

"Yeah, I know, and I have a good reason for that, I swear."

"So, what's the latest?" Here we go.

"Are you with the girls?"

"Uh, they're upstairs I'm in the kitchen. What's going on?" I could hear her shuffling through the refrigerator.

"Go upstairs and get them, will you?" I begged.

"No problem." She suspiciously said. The proceeded minute, all I heard was shuffling and a quick 'no thanks mum, see ya' later' from Emma to Mrs. Gilbert. I could hear Emma quickly rush up the stairs and then enter her room, Rikki and Cleo's voices now quite evident.

"Who's that?" Rikki asked, her mouth filled with something.

"Rikki! Don't be nosy!" Cleo scolded. I could almost guarantee that Rikki rolled her eyes with me. Cleo should be used to this by now.

"I'm with the girls, what's up?" I knew Emma like the back of my hand, she was suspicious and terribly curious, I could tell by her voice. She pressed a button on her phone and put me on speaker.

"Are you all sitting down?" I asked, knowing that when I told them someone was bound to fall over. I wasn't supposed to be coming home this early…or possibly ever. A squeak came from Emma's bed as she sat on the mattress.

"Yes, can you tell us what's going on? You're not pregnant are you?" I smiled, no that'd be much easier to deal with, with Jacob than this. I took a deep breath.

"I hope you guys didn't get to used to being a trio. Think you have room for one more?"

"What?" All three girls gasped.

"Does this mean…" Cleo began.

"Are you…" Rikki's voice faded.

"Guess who's coming home." A chorus of screams came from the other line.

"How is this possible?" Emma exclaimed in happiness.

"My mom got transferred back. I'm coming back. I'm coming home." The words tasted like poison on my lips. I could hear Emma's alarm system beep, indicating that someone walked through the door.

"I can't believe it!" The girls screamed in excitement.

"Guys, guys? Are you okay?" I heard Louis shouted as he entered the room.

"Ari's coming home!" They yelled.

"What? No way!"

"Yes way." The smile plastered on my face finally dropped and the hype took a dive. I suddenly felt sad, and back to the same depressed state I was in.

"Listen guys, I got to go, I'll see you in a few days."

"A few days?" Rikki questioned.

"Next week. Text me." I hung up and with a long needed, exasperated sigh I began to stare out into the ocean. Where the hell in Washington was Jacob? Was he even in Washington? His disappearance was killing me and I was heartbroken. I missed him, and I've never been more sorry. And I—

"I figured I could find you here." Jacob's voice startled me from behind. His voice tugged at my heart. He was here! He was here! So why couldn't I find the courage to turn around and look at him?

"I'm sorry." I whispered, a tear burning down my face, "I'm so sorry."

"I am too." What was he sorry for? He had every excuse to be angry. He came up behind me and sat beside me. I let my head sink onto his shoulder while his arm snaked its way around my waist.

"I love you." He said, pressing his lips to the top of my head. "And no matter whether you're here or Australia, I'm still going to love you just as much."


	41. Goodbyes

**A/N: NO THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER. THERE ARE TWO MORE. But holy crap this was so hard to write it made me want to cry. **

_Chapter Forty-One_

_Goodbyes_

_Chapter Song: Perfect by Headley_

I wiped away a cold bead of sweat that was running down my overheated forehead as I hauled a somewhat heavy box filled with trinkets up onto my bed. My room was basically empty now, besides the furniture and boxes. It was weird, really weird. Standing in the room of my current home watching myself pack away my belongings that were ready to ship off to another country was usually a routine I did when my mom and I moved around. And I didn't have any feelings when I did it, I'd do it in silence. But this time, it was hard and felt like I was moving away from home. I had never had a home, till now. And it was Forks. I lifted the clear packing tape from my bed and rolled it out, making a sickly loud screeching noise as I did. I taped the box shut, silently saluting my belongings goodbye and I jotted down my name on the top with permanent marker. After being physically exhausted from all this labor, I plopped myself down on my overly comfortable bed and sighed loudly. I couldn't stop thinking about leaving. It consumed every thought in my head at every second of the day—even in my sleep! I'd been having nightmares, terrible visions of me finding Jacob's decaying body in the forest with Sam's 'losing a mate, it could kill a guy' phrase haunting in the air around me. It never left me. And besides leaving Jacob and my family here, I would even miss my friends at school. I had told them about my departure yesterday, and they were more than upset to hear about my news.

…..

The cafeteria smelled like a mixture of floor cleaner, salad dressing, and some botched cooking experiment. Believe me, it wasn't pleasant but I was growing used to it. The florescence's up on the ceiling were sending off an overly bright glow that was reflecting off the shining linoleum. I was zoned out, completely, staring at the international flags hanging around the lunchroom. My eyes were specifically focused on the Australian flag, but every time I caught myself staring I'd fix my vision so I was staring out at the grey afternoon outside. Jessica Stanely was to my left, Angela Weber to my right. Mike Newton, Eric Yorkie, Lauren Mallory, and a friendly brunette whose name was currently escaping me were sitting beside us.

"I'm so planning on driving down somewhere. Anywhere's better than here." Mike casually said. As usual, there was a loud chattering buzz going around the cafeteria. And more than half of the students were talking about the one thing on everybody's mind—spring break.

"I don't know about you guys, but I spend on planning it all with _Jason_ and going to Seattle. I know a few people who are having a party. Hit me up if you want to come." Lauren announced proudly, quite full of herself. I shuttered at the though of Lauren sloppily sucking face with her boyfriend, Jason. She _sooo_ didn't need to mention that.

"What about you Ariana? What are you gonna do?" Jessica asked me.

"Me?" Of course it was me, what other Ariana was at the table? "I um, I'm going home."

"That's it? You're going home?" Lauren coughed on a laugh.

"Wait, home as in Australia?" Angela realized.

"Uh, yeah. I'm going back to Australia." I announced.

"Wow, that sounds fun. For how long?" They all finally seemed to tune into my conversation.

"Well, forever. Unless my mom gets transferred back."

"What?" More than half the table shouted.

"You're leaving? Why didn't you tell us?" Mike cried.

"I just found out a few days ago, like yesterday." I lied.

"You're leaving us? During break? I can't believe this." Eric sighed.

"We're not going to see you again." Angela was frowning majorly.

"You will," I laughed it off, "I've got family here, I'll be back. My boyfriend still lives here after all so I've got to visit eventually."

"Ugh," Lauren spat, "who the hell would want to come back to this hell hole?"

"For your information I've learned to seriously love this hell hole even though it's not always the best place to be." I retorted. She rolled her eyes.

"Wow, Ariana, I'm really going to miss you." Jessica sadly realized. A chorus of 'sames' followed.

…

Later that day we said our final goodbyes to each other and they promised to keep in touch whether it'd be over the phone or by email. I promised the same, though I wasn't to sure I could keep it. Though I wasn't the best of friends of them, they were still people I became acquainted with and would miss. After regaining my energy, I picked up the box and my bed and descended down the stairs with it, my head craning around it to see where I was going. I juggled to keep the box up as I reached for the front door and opened it. I stopped dead in my tracks when a smiling pixie was standing on my porch.

"Need some help?" She flashed me a toothy smile.

"Alice," I let out a breath I had been holding in, "hi." I put the box down at my feet. She pushed a colorful 'we'll miss you balloon towards me along with a blue gift bag tied with a sparkly ribbon. "What's all this?"

"A going away gift!" She cheerily announced, acting like I should have known from the beginning.

"But…why?" I took the stuff from her as she urged me too.

"Because I'm going to miss you. And friends do that for each." Those words punched me in the heart. I wasn't usually a sucker for things like that, but that really got me. Catching Alice by surprised, I wrapped her in a hug. Her head leaned against my shoulder, and a smile graced her mauve stained lips. She joined my hug, wrapping her abnormally cold arms around my frame.

"Alice…to…tight." I chocked with a laugh. We both let go of each other.

"Sorry." She cheerily apologized.

"I'm going to miss you too. Come visit me sometime, I'm going to need your positive-ness."

"I wish I could." She sighed.

"Why not? I mean I know plane tickets are expensive but can't you just charm the flight attend—"

"No, Ariana, the money's not an issue believe me, I mean look at how much stuff I buy every week." She giggled, "it's always sunny there. I can't be in sun or I'll expose myself."

"Right," I sadly let all the air out of my lungs, "sun and vampires don't mix. I forgot."

"I'll be here the next time you visit. Give me a call before you fly in, I'll make sure I'm here."

"I will, assured I will." I promised. Alice smiled warmly towards me.

"I'd hate to do it, but I'd better get going. You wont be alone long, I saw someone coming in the door in one of my visions at four twenty-one." She smiled. I nodded, giving her a smile. Alice pulled me in for yet another tight hug.

"Have a good trip, and promise to keep in touch."

"I will. I'll miss you." We broke our hug and Alice walked out of the door, waving goodbye.

"Bye." I watched her get into her car and drive away. And that was the last I saw of Alice Cullen.

* * *

I was sitting in the couch in silence until the front door opened, cueing Sam, Emily, and Jacob to walk in. I touched the home screen on my phone, seeing it was exactly four twenty-one. Leaving it up to Alice to know exactly when to expect everyone.

"That works too." Sam said to Jacob. "Hey." He looked to me.

"Hi." My voice was monotone, almost depressing.

"Finish packing?" Jacob wondered, kissing me good afternoon.

"No, I got held up. I probably should go finish. I'll be down later." I told them, getting up from the couch and silently going away.

"Be down at five thirty for dinner!" Emily called. I didn't answer her back. I couldn't bear to. It was a weird feeling; I couldn't be around my own family. The thought of them, the sound of their voice, their presence…it was killing me. It was killing me because they wouldn't always be there. In two days, they'd be gone. I'd be gone. I wouldn't know the next time I'd see them. When was the next time I'd hear from them? And sure, my thoughts might have been irrational, but I couldn't be around them because I was already missing them with all my heart and they were still with me.

* * *

I sat in my room for the next hour. Half of that hour was spent putting away the rest of items and packing my clothes, the other was sitting there completely still deep in my own thoughts. I wanted to cry. I did. All I wanted to do was let out a big sob, but I couldn't. My body felt numb.

"Ariana, dinner! Now" Sam laughed and called from downstairs. I could hear other voices along with hers, there were several. It sounded like the pack was here. What else was new? I didn't answer Emily, I stayed stationed sitting on the side of my bed, completely still and staring at the floor. I couldn't do this right now. I needed air. I needed to get out of here before I had a complete breakdown.

"Ari? Come on, let's go!" Sam called. I didn't move. Still.

"Where is she? One of you go get her." Emily instructed. But by the time he finished his sentence I had my window open and I was out of it, walking down the roof. With the help of a nearby tree and my wind manipulation powers, I swung down and landed on the ground. I was running off towards the beach by the time Sam got into my room.

"Hey, Ari. Come on, dinner." Sam looked around my room to see it empty. Jacob came in next to realize all my things were there, but I wasn't.

"Ariana?" He called, looking around my room. Quil came up next, Jared following.

"Where'd she go?" Quil asked, opening my closet to reveal it was completely empty.

"I've got a feeling I know." Jacob announced, staring at the open window.

* * *

I sat on the cool sand, my hands tightly wrapped around my knees and my head was buried in my legs. The emotionless wall had broken and the second I stepped on the beach, I started crying. The decision was made, why was I so conflicted? I left in the late morning, and I couldn't do it. There was no time left—no time to spend with Jacob, no time to go shopping with Alice, no time to bond with the pack, no time to laugh at how stupid Sam could be sometimes, no time to spend cooking with Emily. My time here had run out. It was bound to happen eventually. Originally, I thought my time was going to be short. I was stupid to think that I could just bail out of Forks and go stay with the girls. That idea left after the first month. Then I thought my time here had run out when Victoria and Charlotte held me hostage. I was sure that was it, I was done—my time in Forks and on earth was complete. I was wrong. But now, now for real I was done living in Forks. I was leaving in the morning, not coming back. I was leaving the love of my life, my family, and my newfound friendships. I was leaving them for my old life and because of my secret. It was all done for because of my secret. I could hear someone walking behind me. Being that there were no real vampire threats in Forks anymore, I didn't bother looking. I could already guess who it was without looking. Jake sat down next to me and stayed silent, as was I.

"Running away, huh?" He asked. I picked my head up, revealing my puffy and watery eyes.

"I guess I'm not that good at it," I sniffled, "you found me." I cracked a weary, sad smile.

"The beach is the only place that makes you feel calm."

"Safe. It makes me feel safe too." I added.

"Now why aren't you at home enjoying your going away party?"

"I can't do it." I admitted. "I'm scared, I, I can't do it. I can't leave." I buried my face in my legs again.

"Yes, you can. And you're going to." Jacob encouraged. I lifted my head to look at him.

"You? You're telling me I can leave? You're encouraging me on this?"

"It's what you wanted, from day one. You wanted to go home. That was our first conversation, how much you wanted to go home. And you're finally doing it. You're getting out of Forks, do you know how lucky you are? You're going home, a place where your best friends are and where your secret is safer. It's what you know and what you love."

"But you're here."

"And I always will be. Same with Sam, Emily, and the pack. We'll all be here waiting for you. We'll visit, we'll call. We'll see each other. Everything will be okay. You need to believe me on this. Everything will be okay. I'm going to miss you more than words can explain, but we'll get through this." I nodded, trying to wrap my thoughts around Jacob's words. He cupped my face in his hands and kissed my forehead.

"Now how about that party?" He smiled. He got up first, giving me a hand to pull me up, and we walked up the beach to go back to the house. I turned my head around, giving one last look at the oh-so-boring La Push beach that I grew to love.

* * *

Walking through the door to _my_ house, everybody was laughing and enjoying my party without me. Quil peaked his head out from the kitchen and spotted me first.

"Ah! You found the runaway!" He laughed.

"Hi everybody." This must have been what Cleo felt like when she ran away and came back to confront everybody. There was a chorus of cheery hellos.

"Where'd you find her?" Paul asked Jacob.

"It's a secret." I smirked. And the rest of the night was spent eating food, laughing, and enjoying my last bit of time with my own pack. There was no doubt in my mind I was going to miss this. And to end it all, I had fallen asleep on the couch with Jacob's arms wrapped around me.

* * *

Saying goodbye to Sam and Emily was about just as hard as saying goodbye to the girls when I first left Australia. Holding back the tears was painful, but I had to keep strong. The two stayed behind while Jacob was the one to drive me to the airport. He had rented a shiny, black SUV to fit all of my stuff. While sitting in the front seat, I was still shaking from the emotional overload. My brother promised to call, as did his fiancé. They told me I'd be invited to the wedding, which was hopefully going to be in the upcoming year now that all the drama was over. I was excited, not so much for the marriage finally coming together, but to come back. Jacob and I hadn't let go of each other from the moment I woke up. He had been holding my hand the entire car ride here. We didn't have to say anything to know what were on each other's minds. Jacob finally pulled the car into the busy Seattle airport departure drop off. Airport security was running amuck trying to keep everything in place as hundreds of people scurried out of their cars and into the airport.

"I guess this is it." I sighed, getting out of the car. Jacob popped the trunk open. It was the perfect day to leave the rainiest, wettest city in the states, it was overcast and grey, it looked like it could rain at any given moment. I hauled my oversized suitcase out of the trunk and then my large duffle. The rest of my stuff had been shipped out this morning by international mail, it should have arrived by the time I did.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." I shook my head, trying not to cry before I got onto the plane.

"Do you have your passport? ID? Plane ticket?"

"Yes, yes, and yes." I patted the pocket of my jeans that contained my wallet. Jacob closed the trunk and we walked onto the sidewalk. Hauling all my stuff was enough to pull my muscle. I set my luggage down and looked at Jacob for a few seconds. I wrapped him in a tight hug and refused to let go for several seconds. When I let go, I wiped a tear away from my cheek.

"Promise me if you ever get moonstruck again the first place you'll come visit is us." Jacob squeezed both of my hands.

"I wouldn't think otherwise."

"I'll miss you so much." He sighed.

"Not as much as I'll miss you." I squeezed his hands back. I could feel my throat getting tighter as I spoke my words. "I'll visit you every school break I get." I added.

"So November, December, and March. And I'll come for the three month long summer since it's unbearable here." Jacob informed.

"You'll love it there." I smiled at the thought of Jacob in Australia.

"I'll love it if you're just there with me." He smiled. There was a small pause when I realized it was time for me to go.

"Call you when I land?"

"That's all I ask." He nodded.

"Take care of Sam for me, okay? My brother can get himself into some trouble." Jacob nodded with a small smile lifting his lips. "I love you." I said, my heart breaking in two. Jacob leaned down and cupped my face with his hands. He pressed his lips against mine and I placed my hands on his waist. It was one of the most passionate kisses he had ever given me, and it was our last.

"I love you too," he paused, "See you in a few months."

"Counting down the days." I said with a faint smile. I was going to cry. I could feel the burning behind my eyes. I grabbed my bags and walked away towards the sliding doors to enter the airport. I turned my head over my shoulder and looked to Jacob. He was trying to be happy, but I could see how upset he was. I knew him to well. I sadly waved to him with the happiest smile I could muster—which made him knew how sad I was. I disappeared through the sliding doors and I wanted to break down and cry right there. That was the last time I would have seen Jacob's face, felt the warmth of his skin on mine for God knows how many months. But instead of breaking down, I continued on and checked in myself, my baggage, and went through security. I got myself there in plenty of time even with the never-ending lines through security. I sat myself down in my terminal waiting area and checked any updates on my phone. The girls had texted me once again saying how excited they were. Lewis and Zane did the same. Emily had texted me to call her when I was landed in Queensland, and some of the pack had even told me to have a good flight and to come visit soon because Jacob was going to be dying without me.

Thanks guys, like I didn't know that already.

I was dying without him. I was praying to God, absolutely wishing that Jacob would come running through the airport to join me on my plane. Who was I kidding? This wasn't the movie! This was reality. Jacob was staying in Washington with my family, his pack. He couldn't leave his dad, his fellow wolves, his school, his home all for me. I might have been his imprint, but there were some things that couldn't work out with true love. I'd see him soon; I'd need to take that as my best option. There was no need; it was that I had to. It was my only choice.

"This is the final boarding call for flight 4579 to Brisbane, Australia. You may proceed to prepare to board at this time. Please have your boarding pass and identification ready." A woman said over the loud speaker. I got up, grabbing my carry on and proceeded to the desk where two little girls and their parents were being checked in, in front of me.

"Mommy, I'm so excited!" One of the little girls cried.

"Me too, Katie!" The mother smiled.

"What if we see dolphins and fishies and sharks and oh my god what if there's mermaids?" The little girl said to her sister. A smile cracked my sad face.

"We'll just have to see!" The mother laughed. The family moved forward and advanced towards the plane. I was next, and I handed the airline staff my ticket and passport. They stamped something and I was on my way through the aerobridge. I was alone in it, and I was walking slowly. This was surreal and bittersweet. I had to cheer up, I was going home to my mother who I haven't seen in months and even more importantly my best friends! I didn't have to worry about protecting my secret anymore. I was going home, where it rarely rained. But somehow, convincing myself still wasn't working. My heart felt like it was ripped out of my chest…like it was sitting at the bottom of the ocean right now. I entered the plane, giving a small smile to the airline crew who was greeting everybody and I searched for my seat. After putting my carry on in the compartment above, I sat down in seat 43C, which happened to be a window seat on the right side of the plane. It took about five more minutes for the rest of the plane to board and the gate was finally closed. To my luck, no one had sat next to me yet and I hoped to God for the rest of this twenty-nine hour flight it'd stay like that. I thought I'd keep my cool, but as I watched rain drizzle lightly fall on the plane window, I started tearing up. I wasn't even sure why, I had just lost it.

"Laies and gentleman, welcome aboard Flight 4579 with service from Seattle to Brisbane. We are currently first in line for take off and are expected to be in air in approximately ten minutes time. We ask that you please fasten your seatbelts at this time and secure all baggage underneath your seat or in the overhead compartments. We also ask that your seats and table trays are in the upright position for take-off. Please turn off all personal electronic devices including laptops and cell phones. Smoking is prohibited for the duration of the flight. Thank you for choosing Delta Airlines and enjoy your flight." The woman finished over the speaker. We soon began taxing around the tarmac, and I turned my head towards the window so the passing by cabin crew didn't see my glassy eyes. While I was looking out the window at the overcast weather and rain, I began thinking how bad of an idea this was. But now that we were taxing, it was to late to get out of it. I couldn't stop the plane just for me. But just as I began to feel worse and worse, a ray of bright sun came slashing through the dark clouds and started shining on the plane. Sure, it may have been tacky, but it was a sign—a sign for me that everything was gonna be okay. A smile broke out across my face. Everything was going to be okay.

"Cabin crew please get ready for take off." The captain said over the loud speaker. And not even less than a minute later, the plane took off and I was on my way to Australia.

Well Forks, thank you for everything.

I'd see you soon.


	42. It's Always Alright in the End

**A/N: PLEASE READ THIS: wow guys, I really can't believe this. This is the last chapter for Ten Seconds Later. I'm absolutely shocked and I can't believe it I'm so happy and sad because I've enjoyed writing for this story and all the constant reviews you guys supported me with! Thank you so much, I appriciate it so much! So anyways, onto happier news. I've been planning this chapter out for a while and things after this chapter. After this chapter? You guys must be like, Elena what do you mean? It means…SEQUAL TIME! I would love to write a sequal to this I have the idea all planned out. I'm either gonna post a whole nother story or just keep adding chapters to this one. Any ideas? I'd love some! Please review this for the last time and tell me your ideas. Again, thank you for your support on my story Ten Seconds Later!**

_Chapter Forty-Two_

_It's Always Alright in the End_

_Chapter Song: When I Look At You by Miley Cyrus_

* * *

It was early May, the temperature hovering just around perfect, and blue skies stretched to the horizon. Outside of the Juice Net Café, the canal was calm despite the breeze and few boats putting along through it to the marina next door. It seemed to mirror the color of the sky and the shimmering of the sun. A dozen seagulls perched on the railing, waiting to dart beneath the tables if someone dropped a scrap of food. Wilfred hated them, I was surprised he wasn't out there shooing them away. As Emma wound her way among the tables, a breeze from the open doors rippled through her straight, blonde hair. Carrying two Styrofoam cups in her left hand and a serving tray filled with delicious fast food in her right, she wore jeans and a tacky floral shirt that I always happened to make a comment on when I saw her wearing it. She brought the drinks to a group of younger girls who snatched the cup up and began sipping away at the straw. She turned around and handed the plates of burgers and fries to a group of men behind her. After ditching the serving tray, Emma winded up at my table, wiping a cloth at the other side.

"Bored? She asked, tucking the cloth secure in her belt loop.

"Terribly." I complained with a quiet sigh.

"You could help me! Crowds coming in and Ash is on break." She looked down to me with hope. I silently laughed inside. Emma knew me so well, why would she bother asking me something she already knew the answer too.

"Oh look, I suddenly have something to do at," I paused and looked down to the invisible, non-existent watch on my wrist, "now". I shot up from my chair. "See yah, Em." I turned on my heel and headed for the door.

"Ariana! Please!" She desperately called.

"Not in this lifetime!" I laughed, not even bothering looking back.

"Good to have you back, Ari." Emma mumbled with a smirk under her breath. As I exited the Juice Net, Zane brushed past me.

"What's that all about?" He wondered.

"Whatever you do, don't tell Emma you're bored." I smirked and continued down the sidewalk.

"Want to hang out later?" He shouted after me. I turned around to face him but continued to walk backwards.

"Buy me a burger and we've got a deal." I grinned, turning around and walking off. How did I survive so long without my friends? Better question was, how did they survive that long without me? It was nice being back in Australia. I hadnt realized how much I really missed it until I stepped off the plane two weeks ago. It had been a long and hard, yet fun two weeks. I had reunited with my mother, who I hadn't seen since she dropped me off in Forks many months ago, at the airport. She had waited for me right outside baggage claim and I swear, we shared the longest hug in the history of hugging. The girls and I reunited not long after that. In fact, it was less than an hour later. They had surprised me at my house and we broke down into tears and didn't let go of each other for a long time. I had finally met up with Lewis, Zane, and Ash—who now knew Emma's and our secret two days after my arrival. I had missed a lot while I was in my depressed and loner state. After swimming to Mako and into the Moon Pool, we had a long and deep conversation about what I had missed in those few weeks. Of course, Emma had decided to tell Ash her secret after a long and hard decision. She really loved him. She decided it was time. Apparently Charlotte dropped by to pay the girls a visit, one to tell them how 'sorry she was'. Yeah right, that lying bitch. But it ended up working out because they all met at Mako the night of a super rare full moon that threatened to strip any mermaid of her powers if she was in the Moon Pool. Long story short, after a power battle between the girls and Charlotte, the conniving vampire-mermaid ended up head deep in magical Moon Pool water. She lost her powers and told the girls that she deserved that. No one had seen her since.

It seemed that everything was working out. Well, almost everything. As content as I was here, I was pretty homesick for Forks. I missed waking up to the smell of Emily's cooking in the morning, and I missed Sam's witty remarks he made when I was being sassy. I had called them almost everyday to check in which they appreciated since apparently the house was quite lonely without me, even with a pack of five other hungry werewolves running around it. Through all of my happiness the past two weeks, I did find times where I had grown quiet and lonely even in a room full of people. My thoughts always went straight to Jacob. They rarely left him. I spoke with him every night and texted him all throughout the day. I missed him terribly, and my heart was aching from it. Every time I shut my eyes, I could see him standing there. And every time I fell asleep, I'd have dreams about us being together. I didn't go one night without dreaming of Jacob Black. Sometimes I even thought I saw him on the streets, but when my hopes got up and my heart began pounding with joy, the person would turn around and not be Jacob. It was really depressing. And as I wandered the streets back to wherever my destination was going to take me, I couldn't help but think about home. I missed Alice, who I had talked to twice since I arrived. I was actually wearing some of the stuff she had bought me as a departure present now: a pair of denim jean shorts and a light blue tank top. She also bought me a couple extremely expensive designer bracelets I was almost too afraid to wear. But it was Jacob whom I missed the most. His face crept into my thoughts and I couldn't help but want him here beside me. We were thousands and thousands of kilometers apart. A whole ocean was between us, nothing could make that happen. These were the longest two weeks without him. And even in the company of my best friends who shared the best secret in the world with me, I was missing something. And that something was a part of me. That part of me was Jacob. As I continued my walk down the slow walks down the streets of Australia, I had no destination in mind. I tried to push Jacob into the back of my mind and other matters into the front—like getting back to school and how happy I was Zane was finally gonna buy me that burger from JuiceNet I was craving from months now. My secret was safe too. I had to be really happy about that. Charlotte was gone, so was Denman. No more worries! We were finally okay. Everything was gonna turn out fine.

The streets were pretty empty today. Due to the gorgeous weather, everyone was migrated down to the beach or rushing into the JuiceNet to get some cold drinks and snacks. I was almost alone, except the figure far up the street. I stopped in my place as I got a good look at the figure. No. There was no way. I was officially off the crazy charts.

"Jacob?" I said in disbelieve. No, there was no way that was Jacob even though it completely looked like him. His hands were stuffed in his pockets and he was even standing like my Jacob. He was even wearing Jacob's navy blue v-neck that I loved so much! But no way, that wasn't him. A smile appeared on the Jacob hallucinations' face the moment after his name left my mouth. How did the person hear me? I wasn't anywhere near him. The only person that could actually hear that far was someone who acquired werewolf super hearing. The smile grew as the hallucination watched me.

_Unless…_

Jacob.

"Jacob!" I squealed so loudly his smile grew even bigger. I took off, running to him at full force. If this was a dream, it was a real good one. I expected for when I got to Jacob, he'd disappear like a mirage, but he never did. After running at the fastest speed possible, I jumped into his arms and he twirled me around as I grasped onto his head and kissed his passionately on every inch of his face. I started crying of happiness as my legs latched onto him tightly. His arms were wrapped around my back and our faces were pressed together so there was no room for air.

"Would you like to take this somewhere else?" Jacob broke our kiss with a laugh.

"What? Like where?" I wiped away the tears from my eyes and looked at him, confused.

"Maybe like my apartment a couple miles from your house." He smiled widely.

"What?" I gasped in disbelief.

"Those were the hardest two weeks of my life." He shook his head. "I can't be without you, Ariana."

"You left the pack?" No…Jacob did that all for me? He shifted his weight as he held me.

"Like I said, I can't be without you. I love you so much, I can't live without yo—"

"Oh shut up and kiss me." I smiled, pressing my lips against his. And finally, without a doubt, everything in my life was finally going to be alright.

**The End. **

…**for now.**

* * *

ARIANAS OUTFIT:

(www) (polyvore).com(/) cgi/set?id=77439133


	43. Welcome Back

**A/N: Yes, yes, a horribly short chapter but I'M BACK! Hello my lovely readers and thank you for sticking with me through this short break but here is book 2! I decided to put it in the same story because I thought if I made a new one, to many people would be confused and not find it! Anyways, review please? Already got tons of ideas for this one :D **

_Chapter Forty-Three_

_Welcome Back_

I was in a deep, peaceful sleep that I never wanted to come out of. God, I needed this. After being deprived of sleep for the past week due to school year stress, I finally got the chance to sleep in and enjoy myself.

"Ariana, wake up." A soothing voice crept its way into the current dream I was having…to be specific, one about me underwater. Psh, what else is new.

"Ariana, wake up." The voice repeated and cooed. Who dared to wake me up on my day off? No! There was no way I was getting up. Not if my house was on fire. Not if Denman was outside my house with a water gun. Not even if Brad Pitt was standing naked in the middle of my room.

Well, if it came to that…

No. No, Ariana! Sleep.

"Let's go Ari, get up." The voice urged with care. I groaned in reply and pulled the covers tighter to my body.

"Ari." No voice. Leave. Wait, I knew that voice. It belonged to Jacob.

"Go away." I sleepily mumbled, squeezing my eyes shut. It was bright out, I could tell even with closed eyes. All I wanted was darkness right now! Was that so much to ask?

"Come on babe, you're gonna be late to meet your mom." Late. Mom. My eyes shot open.

"Mom." I realized, finally alert. I shot up in bed. "I'm gonna be late!" I screeched. Tearing the warm comforter from my body, I darted out of my bed and scurried at lightning speed to my bathroom. I had forgotten through all the school year stress that I was meeting my mom for an early lunch. I'd hardly seen her the past several weeks due to her throwing herself into her work, as usual of course. But she swore to me it'd lighten up once October hit. Yeah, lets hope so. Living in a house alone most of the time wasn't as fun as I'd hope it would be.

But then again, I had Jacob to keep me company.

That was fun. Really fun.

My mom and I made this lunch date weeks ago and talked about it every day. She claimed she was excited to spend time with her little girl for the first time in well, a while. Snatching my toothbrush and squirting toothpaste onto it, I shoved it into my mouth and began furiously brushing my teeth and running back into my room. Jacob was standing there, flabbergasted and holding back laughter. I grabbed the first thing in my closet—a pair of jean shorts and a blue and white striped tank top. I ran back into my bathroom, rinsing my mouth out of toothpaste and changing into my clothes. Less than thirty seconds later, I was back in my room, throwing a pair of converses on.

"Slow down speed racer." Jacob laughed, "Come on, I'll drive you." He suggested. Grabbing my phone, I shoved it into my pocket.

"No time!" I said, exiting my room with Jacob on my tail.

"No time? What are you gonna do, walk there?" Jacob asked as I flew down the stairs.

"Nope. Love you!" I opened the sliding glass door that lead to the backyard and ran out.

"Ari!" Jacob called. By the time he got out to the backyard, I opened the gate that led to the dock.

"Ari, what are—" I cut him off as I dove into the intercostal. Ten seconds later, a tail had replaced my legs and I was off towards the Juice Net Café.

"Love you too." Jacob sighed with a laugh after I disappeared.

I smiled as I swam through the ocean, thinking about the past several weeks. They'd been great. Great wasn't even a word to describe it. I was fantastic. Jacob had left the pack and moved to Australia to be with me, what could get better than that? I was reunited with my three best friends, the love of my life, and my mother. Everything was good and boy did it feel good to be back. Sure I missed Sam and Emily to death, but we talk every week. It's nice to hear their voices.

There was no doubt the girls were surprised when they saw Jacob. And no, it wasn't because he was in Australia.

….

_"What the holy hell is that and more importantly, why don't I know him?" Rikki drooled, pulling me aside after I walked into the Juice Net with Jacob the same day._

_"I told you guys, that's Jacob."_

_"Why didn't you tell us he was so hot?" Cleo squealed._

_"I don't know." I shrugged._

_"You forgot to mention that little fact?" Emma asked._

_"Okay so what brand?" Rikki asked._

_"Brand?"_

_"Yeah, what brand does he model?"_

_"He's not a model."_

_"So this is the wolf." Emma nodded her head, staring at him._

_"Guess those movies were right about the werewolves being sexy and fit." Rikki added._

_"Hands off he's mine." I smirked. "And all three of you have boyfriends, that aren't looking particularly happy with the three of drooling over him." I laughed. By the counter, Ash, Lewis, and Zane were all angrily sipping at their smoothies, eyeing Jacob. I walked over to the three, patting Zane on the back._

_"Calm down boys, he's mine." I smirked, snatching Lewis' drink and taking a few sips from it._

…

The proceeding two weeks were fantastic, except for one thing. Jacob's hotness was actually getting in the way. And it was pissing me off. Every girl we passed on the street would stare at him like he was a movie star. Whenever we went out to eat, the hostess would flirt. So would people passing us by! I was getting abnormally jealous and afraid Jacob would leave me for these hotter blonde bimbos. Jacob could tell I was getting irritated and nervous, so he tried to calm me down and remind me of one thing.

_"Don't be jealous of these girls." Yeah right. _

"_To late." I had spat._

_"Ariana," Jacob had grabbed my face, "I'm never going to leave you. You're my reason for living. You're the love of my life, not anyone else here."_

Yeah, I melted right then and there. What girl wouldn't?

Lewis, Ash, and Zane didn't loosen up towards Jacob for a week until they realized he wasn't a threat to their girls. Now, they were finally getting along with each other. Jacob was having an easy time getting accustomed to the gold coast, and he was enjoying spending time with me. Thank God, him and my mom got along great…though she was suspicious of our relationship. But she didn't have time to care, she had to much work to do. Jacob took her place when she wasn't home, which was most of the time.

I chose a secluded spot on the beach close to Juice Net where I got myself out of the water and dried off. After a short jog to the café, I stopped right outside the front door and fixed my messy hair and acted as if I hadn't woken up ten minutes ago. I walked through the door to see my mom sitting at a table, on the phone.

"Graham, I've got to go. Yeah, no, no, yeah that's fine. Bye." She hung up. "Morning sweetheart." She smiled.

"Hi." I breathlessly said.

* * *

"Can you believe we've only got a few more months of school left?" Emma asked as we all sat together in the Moon Pool.

"Yeah, I just started catching up again." I groaned. "Summer break needs to come faster." Being that we were in Australia and not in the U.S, our summers started in the middle of December, not June. So I basically never had a break in between my session from Forks High and here. Talk about major bummer.

"Only like ten more weeks and you'll be free!" Cleo brightly said.

"Oh, ten more weeks. Perfect." I groaned, splashing water at her.

"You got this." Emma assured.

"Cant mermaid powers come with brain power? It should be like a package kind of deal." I mused, flopping my tail. A light smile lifted my lips. One of the best things about being back in Australia is that I'd been swimming almost everyday again. I didn't realize how much I really missed the beautiful coral reefs and adventures the sapphire Australian waters. Nothing could compare.

"I can always tutor you in Bio if youre having such a hard time catching up." Cleo offered.

"Look how that turned out last time." Rikki scoffed.

"Yeah but the difference is, Cleo's not Charlotte." I reminded.

"Has anyone actually heard from her?" Emma wondered. There was a chorus of 'no's'.

"Never saw her again, but you guys already knew that. I heard some of the Cullen's met up with her on the outskirts of Seattle and taught her how to control her newfound powers."

"Have you talked to the Cullens?" Rikki asked.

"No. I mean, occasionally to Alice just checking up on her, but other than that I haven't. I basically only talk to Sam and Em. And I hear from the pack through Jacob."

"We get you miss them." Emma sympathetically smiled to me.

"I'll get over it. Besides, I've got Jacob here. That's better than anything I can ever ask for."

"But you had other people there."

"It's fine. I have you guys, I'm okay." I changed the subject fairly quickly. To be honest, talking about Forks was a sensitive topic. It was like a love-hate relationship with the small city. I couldn't take it. Whatever.

* * *

Some ten thousand miles away in a small, quaint home slap in the middle of the Galapagos Islands, not much could be heard. The home smelled of salty air and freshly brewed coffee while a calm tropical melody and chirping birds echoed through the house. There was a desk, particularly a cluttered one in the middle of a living room. A screeching noise filled the room as a woman pulled back the desk's wooden chair and took a seat. Her white, ceramic coffee mug made a clacking noise as it came in contact with the wood. The woman's pale hands shuffled around, moving crumpled and disorganized loose-leaf notes around the table. A long, rectangular white piece of paper—a boarding pass, and a small blue booklet with the golden words 'passport' engraved on the front, moved to the lower center of the table, right in front of the woman. A blue pen appeared in her hand and she circled the destination on the boarding pass—BNE.

Australia.


End file.
